Project on Government Oversight (POGO)

Honest, transparent and effective government. We work with federal employees toward this goal by fighting defense contractor fraud, political cronyism, corrupt decisions and other misconduct.

Why do we exist?

POGO chooses cases that illustrate systemic problems in the federal government so as to have the greatest impact on public policy. Using a results-oriented approach, in recent years POGO has been responsible for billions in saved tax dollars and for major policy reforms affecting millions of Americans. While some groups are staffed with scientists or experts who focus on a single issue, POGO is a multi-issue organization with an expertise for working with inside sources and whistleblowers to provide irrefutable evidence of waste, fraud or abuse. There are many people who work in and around the federal government who come across information revealing serious misconduct in the way the government is operating -- yet that information is not available to the public. Many of these people rightfully believe that, at the least, they would risk losing their job if they came forward and "blew the whistle." POGO provides an alternative to this scenario. We take the information, verify it through our own investigations and then work through our well-established network of contacts in Congress, federal agencies, media, public interest groups and advocacy groups to get the information out. At the same time, we protect the source's identity. In this way, attention is not focused on the personality of the whistleblower, as is usually the case – but instead, it is focused on the information itself. Using this methodology and working with a network of bipartisan good government advocates, POGO has taken on and beaten some of the most politically powerful interests that spend millions of dollars annually lobbying and contributing to political campaigns.

What have you accomplished?

Through our work with Federal Employees, we have brought about significant change during the 20 years that we have been operating. Just a few of our accomplishments are: Official Secrets Act Killed. On November 5th, 2000, the President vetoed the Intelligence Authorization Act because of the “Official Secrets” provision which would have criminalized whistleblowing for the first time ever in U.S. history. If passed, the measure would have had a devastatingly chilling effect on whistleblowers working in military and intelligence agencies. POGO worked with good government groups, major US news organizations, unions and civil rights groups to stop the measure. Oil and Gas Industry Fraud. POGO's pursuit of the major oil companies for their failure to pay what they owe for drilling on public lands led the Interior Department to implement new regulations in June 2000. The new regulations collect $72 million owed annually from Big Oil for public education, the purchase of park lands, Native American tribes and the general treasury. POGO-initiated lawsuits joined by the Department of Justice for past underpayments have generated more than $438 million in settlements to date. Navy Aircraft Fraud. Based on a POGO report, Rep. Peter Defazio (D-OR) wrote to then-Defense Secretary William Perry expressing concern over the Navy's Pioneer unmanned vehicle program. This letter prompted the Pentagon Comptroller to freeze funding for the project. POGO's report highlighted, among other things, a $127.46 washer (used with a nut and bolt), a $31.56 bolt and a $544.09 spark plug connector.

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