| Project on Government Oversight | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | POGO |
| Formation | February 1981 |
| Type | 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization |
| Purpose/focus | Government Watchdog |
| Location | Washington, DC |
| Director | Danielle Brian |
| Website | http://www.pogo.org |
| Remarks | Founder: Dina Rasor |
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO), founded in 1981, is an independent non-profit organization in the United States which investigates and seeks to expose corruption and other misconduct. POGO assists whistleblowers and investigates federal agencies, Congress, and government contractors. POGO is currently led by executive director Danielle Brian.
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POGO’s range of investigations includes: national defense and homeland security; abuse in government contracting; excessive secrecy that fails to consider the public interest; and mismanagement of natural resources by federal agencies. POGO uses investigative journalism techniques to shed light on the government's activities, including working with whistleblowers and anonymous sources and accessing information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). POGO’s Federal Contractor Misconduct Database[1] is often used by investigative journalists and others who are interested in contractor misconduct.
Corporate whistleblowers and government insiders bring POGO many of its investigative topics. POGO informs the public of its findings, mainly through reports that contain extensive documentation and recommendations for how to solve the problems identified. Once a report has been released, more insiders usually approach POGO to provide further documentation and information.
While working for the National Taxpayers Legal Fund, Dina Rasor led its investigation into the C-5A transport aircraft. In February 1981 Rasor started "Project on Military Procurement", as an arm of the Fund.[2] The organization was intended as a watchdog group to perform oversight of the military. Early interests included the M1 Abrams tank.[3] The Project first gained wide attention in the mid-1980s uncovering Pentagon waste and fraud by publishing reports, provided by whistleblowers, exposing $640 toilet seats, $7,600 coffee makers, $436 hammers and other overpriced spare parts used by the military.[4] The group was renamed Project on Government Oversight in the late 1990s.
In the 1990s POGO investigated the Department of the Interior Mineral Management Service's collection of oil royalties. POGO and other plaintiffs sued the 14 largest oil and gas companies for defrauding the government by underpaying royalties owed for drilling on Federal lands, under the False Claims Act.[5] In 1998 POGO shared proceeds of the settlement of that lawsuit with two whistleblowers, federal employees, in the amount of $383,600 each for their assistance leading up to the lawsuit. This resulted in a preliminary investigation and report in 2000[6] which alleged that POGO's payments were for influence on Department of the Interior actions and policies. While calling the payments "a mistake", committee member U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman disputed any claims of influence, citing the timeline of events.[7] POGO did not hand over phone records relating to the incident, and was threatened by Rep. Don Young with Contempt of Congress,[8] which he withdrew, lacking the votes for passage.[9] The report, hearings, and contempt threat were described by Martin Lobel, an attorney involved in the dispute, as being driven by "oil company congressional lapdogs" bent on hounding oil industry enemies and derailing regulatory reform.[10]
In 2003 the United States Department of Justice, under George W. Bush, filed a civil action against POGO and one of the employees, and moved for summary judgment for violation of 18 U.S.C. § 209(a) (Restriction on Supplementation of Salary).[11][12] This was granted in 2004, appealed, reversed in 2006,[11] and went to trial in 2008, where the jury found that a violation had occurred. The court imposed penalties of the original dollar amount on the employee and $120,000 on POGO, which submitted a sworn declaration that the organization will not issue any future settlement payments to Government employees.[13]
On August 3, 2010, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the District Court judge’s jury instructions which had prevented POGO from defending itself in the civil suit. The Court struck down the DOJ’s position that POGO’s intent was not relevant – a position that had prevented POGO from using the word “whistleblower” in its defense. Accordingly, the jury verdict was vacated by the Court.[14]
In 2002 the watchdog groups POGO, Government Accountability Project, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, co-published the book The Art of Anonymous Activism: Serving the Public while Surviving Public Service. It is described as a "how-to guide" for government employees who wish to expose corruption or misconduct in their organization without endangering their careers.[15][16]
Program areas include: Acquisition Reform, Faulty Aircraft Wiring, and Wasteful Defense Spending.
POGO investigates military weapons to expose improper influence by some defense contractors on Pentagon decision making. For example, POGO has claimed that members of the United States Congress ardently support weapons systems built or maintained in their districts, regardless of effectiveness or even Pentagon requests for these weapons. POGO believes that this behavior leads to misspending on military weapons programs, placing tax dollars and national defense at risk.[17]
POGO has a history of investigating and actively opposing the production of weapons that it believes to be wasteful or inefficient. Weapon systems that POGO has investigated and opposed include the F/A-22 Fighter Aircraft,[18] B-1 Bomber,[19] Future Combat Systems, B-2 Bomber, Growler (Internally Transportable Vehicle – ITV), Ballistic Missile Defense, Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, Black Hawk Helicopter, Patriot Missile, C-17 Globemaster Airlifter, Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, C-130J Transport Aircraft, Stryker, Comanche Helicopter, V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft, and Crusader Howitzer.[20] On the other hand, POGO has supported the production of the A-10 Warthog Aircraft for its relative effectiveness and inexpensiveness compared to what POGO considers more wasteful weapons.[21]
Program areas include: Biodefense Security and Oversight, Nuclear Power Plant Security, Nuclear Weapons Complex Security, and Post 9/11 Security.
In 2006, POGO published a report detailing its investigation of the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory security complexes. The report claimed that the complexes were "at high risk, and [could] not meet the government's security standards." It also claimed that a terrorist with an improvised nuclear device at either site could kill more than 60,000 people in the area.[22]
POGO has conducted numerous investigations into the Los Alamos National Laboratory.[23] LANL has been the subject of several controversies in the past, including employees charging personal expenses to government accounts,[24] lost equipment or documents (including hundreds of computers containing classified information),[25][26][27] and a memorandum to employees to "be careful what they say" to safety and security inspectors.[28] Most recently, in 2009, 69 computers disappeared, although plant officials insisted that the computers did not contain the most highly classified information.[29] 2009 also saw a scare in which 2.2 pounds of missing plutonium prompted a Department of Energy investigation into the plant. The investigation found that the "missing plutonium" was a result of miscalculation by LANL's statisticians and did not actually exist, but the investigation did lead to heavy criticism of the plant by the DOE for security flaws and weaknesses that the DOE claimed to have found.[30][31]
Program areas include: Bug Bombs and Insecticide Foggers, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Oversight,Moab and the NRC, and Oil and Gas Industry Fraud and Corruption.
In 1994, POGO released a report criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to require the aerosol industry to warn the public about their use of "bug bombs," or insecticide foggers, which are highly flammable and potentially dangerous to its users.[32] By 1999, the EPA had passed a rule stating that insecticide foggers must be properly labeled to alert consumers to their dangers.[33]
POGO investigated the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service, which manages natural resources on the nation's outer continental shelf. Their 2008 report documented corruption and mismanagement in the MMS's royalty-in-kind program, including inadequate royalty accounting and provision of sex, drugs, and other favors to MMS officials by oil company representatives in exchange for favorable business deals.[34] Following this report and others by oversight groups including the Government Accountability Office, the royalty-in-kind program was terminated.[35][36]
Program areas include: Acquisition Reform (including consolidation effects, overpriced weapons, proposed "reforms", purchase cards, and share in savings), Federal Contractor Misconduct, Competition in Federal Contracting,Contractor Accountability, Contractor Sweetheart Deals (including the Boeing Tanker Lease), Iraq Reconstruction Contracts, Cost Accounting Standards, Katrina Contracting, Federal Grant Programs,Revolving Door: Politics of Contracting, (including conflict of interest and ethics resources),Faulty Aircraft Wiring, and Small Business.
POGO maintains a Federal Contractor Misconduct Database that lists the United States government's 100 biggest contractors, how much is spent on them per year, their instances of misconduct since 1995, and the total cost of their misconduct, according to POGO.[37] Eventually, the federal government adopted a similar database through the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act. This provision was spearheaded by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and other senators and representatives.[38]
In September 2009, POGO conducted an investigation into Armorgroup, a private security contractor in charge of protecting the U.S. embassy in Kabul, and uncovered and released documents, photos, and videos depicting drunken behavior, nudity, and hazing among the guards.[39] This led to the dismissal of several managers and eight guards, the resignation of an additional two guards,[40] and ultimately the cancellation of the United States military's contract with Armorgroup.[41]
Program areas include: Campaign Finance Disclosure and Reporting, False Claims Act, Freedom of Information Act - FOIA, Government Secrecy, and Protecting Whistleblowers. POGO also has a collection of documents concerning the Office of Special Counsel, the agency that is supposed to protect the federal government’s whistleblowers.[off-topic?]
POGO, along with several other public interest groups, has been involved in the investigation and trial of Scott Bloch, ex-head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). Bloch was accused by former OSC employees of ignoring and dismissing hundreds of whistleblower complaints, removing language guaranteeing protection against sexual orientation discrimination from OSC's website and official documents, and "relocating" several of his own employees who came forward with these allegations.[42] When these accusations led to a Congressional Investigation of Bloch, Bloch allegedly hired a technology company, Geeks On Call, to conduct a 7-layer memory wipe of his computer and several other OSC laptops in order to hide key evidence from the investigators; Bloch initially claimed that he ordered this as protection against a virus that had infected his computer, but he later admitted he was trying to withhold information.[43] Bloch ultimately resigned his position as head of the OSC, pled guilty to withholding information from Congress. As of July 2010[update], Bloch is awaiting sentencing.[44]
Program Areas include: Bailout Oversight, Financial Regulatory Reform, Stimulus Oversight, and State Stimulus Oversight.
POGO has pushed for stronger oversight of the financial bailout and stimulus package. In 2009, POGO helped uncover payments totaling approximately $1.2 billion dollars paid to at least 30 companies that had violated the law through the stimulus package.[45][46] POGO also wrote letters to Congress calling for strong oversight of financial industry representatives that give the government advice on the bailout and stimulus packages, citing this as a potential conflict of interest that could lead to pro-industry policies that do not help the taxpayer.[47][48]
In 2009, POGO sent a letter to Congress criticizing the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to implement more than half of the recommendations made to it by its Inspector General[49] According to POGO, in the past 2 years, the SEC had taken no action on 27 out of 52 recommended reforms suggested in Inspector General reports, and still had a "pending" status on 197 of the 312 recommendations made in audit reports. Some of these recommendations included imposing disciplinary action on SEC employees who receive improper gifts or other favors from financial companies and investigating and reporting the causes of the failures to detect the Madoff ponzi scheme.[50]
POGO made several recommendations that were ultimately included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, including promoting stronger whistleblower protections and rewards for financial industry employees, giving the Government Accountability Office the power to audit the Federal Reserve, creating a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and giving Inspector Generals more independence.[51]
May 20, 2010: Contract Spending: Escaping the Dark Ages
April 8, 2009: Transforming the U.S. Strategic Posture and Weapons Complex for Transition to a Nuclear Weapons-Free World
March 20, 2009: Inspectors General: Accountability is a Balancing Act
February 27, 2009: Easy Money: Top Five Recommendations for Increasing Revenue and Cutting Costs
February 18, 2009: The FDA's Deadly Gamble with the Safety of Medical Devices
November 25, 2008: Breaking the Sound Barrier: Experiences of Air Marshals Confirm Need for Reform at the OSC
October 16, 2008: POGO's Recommended Good Government Reforms for Presidential Transition Teams
September 18, 2008: Drilling the Taxpayer: Department of Interior's Royalty-In-Kind Program
June 19, 2008: Getting Byrned by Justice: Favoritism in the Department of Justice Byrne Discretionary Grant Program
March 17, 2008: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Livermore Homes and Plutonium Make Bad Neighbors
March 6, 2008: Pandemic Flu: Lack of Leadership and Disclosure Plague Vaccine Program
February 26, 2008: Inspectors General: Many Lack Essential Tools for Independence
November 13, 2007: Rescue At Risk: Crucial Helicopter Requirement Weakened
October 16, 2006: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory at High Risk
August 28, 2006: Federal Contracting: Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina
July 25, 2006: Preying On The Taxpayer: The F-22A Raptor
March 31, 2006: The Politics of Contracting: Bajagua's No-Bid Deal
May 19, 2005: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Homeland Security Opportunities
April 28, 2005: Homeland and National Security Whistleblower Protections: The Unfinished Agenda
March 15, 2005: Taxpayers Carry The Load: The C-130J Cargo Plane Does Not
June 29, 2004: The Politics of Contracting
March 11, 2004: Federal Contracting and Iraq Reconstruction
February 10, 2003: Congressional Research Service Products: Taxpayers Should Have Easy Access
September 12, 2002: Nuclear Power Plant Security: Voices from Inside the Fences
July 16, 2002: Big Dreams Still Need Oversight: Missile Defense Testing and Accountability are Being Circumvented
May 10, 2002: Federal Contractor Misconduct: Failures of the Suspension and Debarment System
May 7, 2002: Fill 'Er Up: Back-Door Deal For Boeing Will Leave The Taxpayer on Empty
March 11, 2002: Pick Pocketing the Taxpayer: The Insidious Effects of Acquisition Reform
October 1, 2001: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Security At Risk
August 2, 2001: Is the Air Force Spending Itself Into Unilateral Disarmament?
March 28, 2001: At The Federal Election Commission Things Don't Add Up
March 19, 2001: Heavy Lifting for Boeing: Sweetheart Deal Helps Defense Contractor and Hurts Taxpayers
January 2, 2001: Will We Ever Fly Before We Buy? F-22: Doesn't Meet Basic Testing Criteria
August 10, 2000: F-22: Fact or Fiction?
September 1, 1999: Defense Waste & Fraud Camouflaged As Reinventing Government
March 23, 1999: NRC Sells Environment Down the River: Radiation Flows Unchecked into the Colorado River
May 11, 1998: Tripwired?: Document Trail of Faulty Airplane Wiring Demonstrates Need For Comprehensive Review
April 27, 1998: Addicted to Fraud? Health Care Industriy Forced to Return Nearly $2 Billion to Taxpayers Under the False Claims Act
March 5, 1998: Re-Establishing Institutional Integrity at the FEC: Ten Common Sense Campaign Finance Disclosure Reforms
March 1, 1998: More Brass, More Bucks, Officer Inflation in Today's Military
January 1, 1997: Defense and Health Care Industries: Rather Than Clean Up Their Act, They Attack the Act
January 1, 1997: Drilling For the Truth: More Information Surfaces On Unpaid Oil Royalties
September 1, 1996: Who the Hell is Regulating Who? The NRC's Abdication of Responsibility
January 1, 1996: Wait! There Is More Money to Collect...Unpaid Oil Royalties Across the Nation
February 1, 1995: No Light At the End Of This Tunnel: Boston's Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project
January 1, 1995: Department of Interior Looks the Other Way: The Government's Slick Deal for the Oil Industry
August 1, 1994: Children's Ears & Antibiotics: Gold Mine For Pharmaceutical Companies, Land Mine for Children
May 1, 1994: Aerosols Give Business and Public Big Boom: Where is the Protection in the EPA?
January 1, 1994: Survey of Defense Contractor Signatories of the "Position Paper: Reform of the Federal Civil False Claims Act
June 29, 1993: POGO letter to DOE Secretary Hazel O'Leary concerning recent visit by DOE IG
June 22, 1993: Released draft audit report by Department of Energy Inspector General on Superconducting Super Collider costs and management.[52]
June 7, 1993: POGO letter to President Clinton regarding cost over runs of Superconducting Super Collider
January 1, 1993: The Superconducting Super Collider's Super Excesses
July 1, 1992: High Tech Weapons In Desert Storm: Hype or Reality?
November 1, 1991: Cleaning Up Nuclear Waste: Why Is DOE Five Years Behind and Billions Over Budget?
January 1, 1990: The Army's M1 Tank: Has It Lived Up To Expectations?