Project on Government Oversight

Watchdog Groups Slam Military's Ongoing 'Secrecy' Over Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

HuffingtonPost.com | Lynne Peeples | Posted 01.24.2012

Read More: Toxic Chemicals, Water Contamination, Foia, Department of Defense, Marine Corp, Kathleen Sebelius, Camp Lejeune, Cancer, Project on Government Oversight, Health and Human Services, Pollution, Leon Panetta, FOIA Requests, US Navy, Green News

Government watchdogs are crying "bullshit" and calling the U.S. Navy a "bully" in response to a redacted federal report on the drinking water supply a...

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Bringing It All Back Home: An Example of How Open Government Tools Can Affect Everyday People and Public Policy

Danielle Brian | Posted 11.29.2011

Read More: Opengov, New York Times, Hydrofracking, Project on Government Oversight, Fracking, Open Government, Politics News

Access to information is what allows us to ensure the government is doing its job protecting public health and safety -- from our drinking water to our investments.

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On 9/21/11 (UN Day of Peace): How Peaceful Is the World?

Michael Shank | Posted 11.21.2011

Read More: National Peace Academy, Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, Terrorism Index, Institute for Economics and Peace, Lockheed Martin, Project on Government Oversight, US Peace Index, Failed States Index, Michael Shank, Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, George Mason University, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Global Peace Index, Economnist Intelligence Unit, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Foreign Policy, International Day of Peace, World News

That the economics of peace have had such a hard time prevailing in policy conversations is, in part, because the dominant language, lobbies, and learning environments are all geared toward the mechanics of war.

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Lockheed Martin's CEO Wants Your Social Security Check

Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe | Posted 11.21.2011

Military contractors are crying crocodile tears right now about the "fragility" of their industry. But in fact that industry is flush with cash, and will do or say anything to protect the one thing they care about above all else: profit.

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Panetta Starts Singing Contractors' Tune After Closed-Door Meeting

Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe | Posted 11.16.2011

Panetta and his counterparts in the war industry can play Chicken Little all they want about war budget spending cuts, but they can't change the simple fact that military spending is terrible at creating jobs.

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The War Industry: Bad Job Creators, Bad Bosses, Bad Stewards of Tax Dollars

Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe | Posted 11.13.2011

Read More: Aerospace Industries Association, Contractors, Brave New Foundation, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Dyncorp, Project on Government Oversight, War Profiteers, Jobs, Pogo, Misconduct, War Profiteering, Labor, Military, Unemployment, War Costs, Itt, Secont to None, Business News

As budget cuts come to the fore, military contractors will undoubtedly try to obscure the fact that every $1 billion of military spending costs anywhere between 3,200 and 11,700 jobs or more when compared to other ways of spending the money.

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Should Super Congress Be Super Transparent?

HuffingtonPost.com | Paul Blumenthal | Posted 10.02.2011

Read More: Super Congress, Debt, John Boehner Debt Ceiling, Debt Ceiling, John Boehner, Lobbying, President Barack Obama, Lobbyists, Elections 2012, Debt Ceiling Plan, Harry Reid Debt Ceiling, Obama Debt Ceiling, Barack Obama, Transparency, Debt Ceiling Crisis, Super Committee, Webcast, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Debt Ceiling Bill, 112th Congress, Harry Reid, Project on Government Oversight, Claire McCaskill, Mitch Mcconnell Debt Ceiling, Debt Ceiling Debate, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- The proposed so-called "super Congress," created by congressional leaders in the debt deal and required to find $1.5 trillion in debt re...

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Whistleblowing Laws and Culture Need to Change to Save Taxpayer Dollars

Project On Government Oversight | Posted 10.02.2011

Read More: Transparency, Whistleblowers, Project on Government Oversight, Sunlight Foundation, Micah Sifry, Whistleblower Protection, Whistleblower, Office of Special Counsel, Politics News

Calling out waste, fraud and abuse should be seen as a positive act that strengthens government. Unfortunately, in the current climate, whistleblowers are seen as insubordinates for calling attention to failure.

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In Wake Of Madoff Scandal, SEC Proposes Closer Watch of Securities Brokers

Posted 08.15.2011

Read More: Ponzi Scheme, 2008 Financial Crisis, Sec, Bernard Madoff, Project on Government Oversight, Securities and Exchange Commission, Barack Obama, Chris Cox, Video, Business News

WASHINGTON (Sarah N. Lynch) - Securities brokers would be more closely scrutinized by auditors and be subject to stricter oversight of their handl...

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Whistleblowers: "Rescind Obama's 'Transparency Award' Now!"

Coleen Rowley | Posted 08.14.2011

Read More: Corbett Report, OpentheGovernment Org, Whistleblowers, Project on Government Oversight, Karen Kwiatkowski, Obama's "Transparency Award", Ray McGovern, Sibel Edmonds, Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press, National Security Archives, Obama, OMB Watch, Daniel Ellsberg, Bradley Manning, Pogo, Thomas Drake, Politics News

Over 20 noted whistleblowers have just released a petition calling for rescinding a "Transparency Award" President Obama recently received.

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'SEC's Revolving Door Seems To Be More Active Than Ever"

Posted 07.13.2011

Read More: Revolving Door, Project on Government Oversight, Securities and Exchange Commission, Charles Grassley, Senate Finance Committee, Wall Street, Financial Indsutry, Private Sector, SEC Employees, Business News

WASHINGTON (Tim Reid) - At least 219 former officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission have left since 2006 to help clients with business...

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O'Keefe vs. NPR: Round One Goes to the Kid

Brian Palmer | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Andrew Breitbart, Kbr, Abbie Boudreau, Npr, Acorn, James O'keefe, Vivian Schiller, Dyncorp, Project-on-Government-Oversight, Ron Schiller, Juan Williams, Tucker Carlson, Media News

A video filmed by right-wing activists that apparently shows NPR's chief fundraiser disparaging conservatives was just the latest in a series of dishonestly edited 'stings' by muckraker James O'Keefe.

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Congressional Oversight Crippled By Institutional Anemia, Reformer Says

HuffingtonPost.com | Dan Froomkin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Congressional Oversight, Congress, Danielle Brian, Project on Government Oversight, Pogo, Politics News

Danielle Brian is celebrating her 20th year at the Project on Government Oversight this week. POGO is one of Washington's most productive and respect...

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Congressional Candidate Cited For Giving Up JPMorgan Whistleblower

Politics Daily | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: JPMorgan Chase, Sec, Project on Government Oversight, Long Island, Securities and Exchange Commission, George Demos, Jpmorgan, Politics News

George Demos is a Republican Congressional candidate from Eastern Long Island whose Web site bears the slogan "Fighting for Freedom," and touts his se...

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How Retired Military Officers Make Bank As Pentagon 'Mentors'

HuffingtonPost.com | Arthur Delaney | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Transparency, Contractors, Pogo, Project on Government Oversight, Lobbyblog, Defense Department, Business News

The revolving door is spinning rapidly for retired admirals and generals, more than 125 of whom have been re-hired by the Pentagon to serve as "senior...

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Homosexuality as a Weapon of Torture

Karen Ocamb | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Homosexuality, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Youth Radio, Aaron Belkin, Project on Government Oversight, Gays in the Military, Americablog, Don't Tell, Gawker, John Aravosis, Don't Ask, Amorgroup, Politics News

Policy makers must understand that if their job is to ultimately protect the citizenry, they are complicit in torture if they continue to dismiss abuse of power as "boys will be boys" or bullying or "hazing" as if everyone is just having some good clean fun.

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Embassy Whistleblower Fired For Exposing Afghanistan Scandal

The Washington Independent | Spencer Ackerman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Whistleblowers, Armorgroup-North-America, Project on Government Oversight, State Department, Pogo, US Embassy Kabul, Politics News

The Project on Government Oversight has just learned that one of its sources for exposing apparent acts of physical and sexual harassment by a State D...

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State Department Probing "Lord Of The Flies" Atmosphere At Afghan Embassy

AP | RICHARD LARDNER | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Wackenhut, Armorgroup-North-America, Afghanistan, Camp-Sullivan, Kabul, Project on Government Oversight, State Department, US Embassy Kabul, Politics News

WASHINGTON — A wide-ranging State Department inquiry into allegations of lewd behavior and sexual misconduct among the private security contract...

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Embassy Guard: Sex Acts Required For Promotion At U.S. Embassy In Afghanistan

ABC News | Posted 05.14.2012

Read More: Afghanistan Sex Party, Afghanistan Embassy Guards, Embassy Sex Party, Afghanistan, Sex Acts, Kabul, U.S. Embassy, Where US Embassy Guards Having Sex, Wackenhut Contractors Naked, Taliban, Gay, Sex Party in Kabul, State Department, Afghanistan War, Afghanistan Embassy Naked, Sex, Embassy Guards Afghanistan, Project on Government Oversight, Afghanistan Embassy Sex, Afgan Embassy Guards, Embassy Guards, Armorgroup, World News

Private security guards at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul were pressured to participate in naked pool parties and perform sex acts to gain promotions or as...

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US Embassy Guards Gone Wild In Kabul: Prostitution, Brawls, And Vodka Butt Shots

Mother Jones | Daniel Schulman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Wackenhut, g4s, Afghanistan, Pogo, Camp Sullivan, US Embassy in Kabul, Kabul, Hillary Clinton, Project on Government Oversight, ArmorGroup North America, World News

Drunken brawls, prostitutes, hazing and humiliation, taking vodka shots out of buttcracks-- no, the perpetrators of these Animal House-like antics are...

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Stimulus Transparency: Who Ensures the Numbers Are Right?

ProPublica | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Transparency, OMB Watch, Project on Government Oversight, President Obama, Stimulus, Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, Office of Management and Budget, Politics News

When Obama introduced the stimulus, he made a promise of transparency: Every American will be able to see how we spend taxpayer dollars. Like so many noble ideas, that may be easier said than done.

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Senate Committee Okays Bill To Protect Whistleblowers

AP | RICHARD LARDNER | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Corruption, Project on Government Oversight, Whistleblower, President Obama, Whistleblower Legislation, National Whistleblower Center, Obama, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Politics News

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation to protect federal employees from being punished for blowing the w...

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Congressional Oversight Needed

Ginny Sloan | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Checks and Balances, Congress, Mickey Edwards, Federal Government, Congressional Oversight, Congressional Research Service Report, Project on Government Oversight, U.S. Constitution, Chris Shays, Politics News

Effective congressional oversight is critical for maintaining the separation of powers established under our Constitution and serves not only the interests of Congress, but also those of the executive branch and the American public.

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States Failing At Stimulus Accountability

The Huffington Post | Laura Dean | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Project on Government Oversight, Barack Obama, Stimulus, Stimulus Funds, Politics News

Before taking office, President-elect Barack Obama promised that when it comes to stimulus spending, "every American will be able to hold Washington a...

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Ethics Groups Pounce On Gibbs' Statement

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Ethics Groups, Obama Ethics Standard, Obama Crew, Obama Ethics, Robert Gibbs, Gibbs Statement, Obama White House, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Project on Government Oversight, Good Government Groups, Obama Ethical Standard, Politics News

Barack Obama may have instituted the most far-reaching ethics policy in the history of the White House, as his communications staff is keen to say. Bu...

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