Oversight
U.S. History Shows Spending on Infrastructure Doesn’t Always End Well
The lasting problems of infrastructure aren’t of need or construction, but of overbuilding, delayed costs and the challenges of thinking ahead.
Oversight
Inspector General Urges Ethics Review at Federal Election Commission Following ProPublica Report
The FEC’s inspector general has called for the agency to review its policies and internal controls after ProPublica revealed a key employee’s undisclosed ties to Trump.
Oversight
Secret IRS Files Reveal How Much the Ultrawealthy Gained by Shaping Trump’s 'Big, Beautiful Tax Cut'
Billionaire business owners deployed lobbyists to make sure Trump’s 2017 tax bill was tailored to their benefit. Confidential IRS records show the windfall that followed.
Oversight
Why Doesn’t Medicare Cover Services So Many Seniors Need?
When the program began half a century ago, backers believed the benefits would expand over time, but politics and concerns about money have stymied most efforts. Now congressional Democrats are looking to add vision, dental and hearing care.
Oversight
Afghanistan Reconstruction Oversight Continues Despite U.S. Withdrawal
“As long as there's money flowing, there's a need for oversight and SIGAR’s responsibility,” says John Sopko, special IG for Afghanistan reconstruction.
Oversight
Senator Seeks Information on ‘Rogue’ Commerce Department Unit
The Investigative and Threat Management Service is alleged to have targeted department employees and wrongly engaged in counterintelligence operations.
Oversight
Watchdog Takes Up Review on Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug Approval
The FDA commissioner requested the investigation.
Oversight
Social Security 'Overwhelmed' by Mail, Infuriating Customers Seeking Documents
With most employees teleworking during the pandemic, the watchdog faulted the agency for not having a system to track and return customers’ identification documents.
Oversight
FBI Agent Used Photos of Young Female Support Staff in Undercover Sex Stings
The images, of staffers not certified to work on undercover investigations, potentially put the women in danger, IG says.
Oversight
Agriculture IG Named Acting Watchdog of Federal Housing Finance Agency
The office has been under scrutiny by lawmakers and an IG committee.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Whistleblowing in the U.S.
The Government Accountability Project's Irvin McCullough joins the podcast to discuss National Whistleblower Day.
Oversight
To Combat Fraud, Colleges and Universities Must Report Student Veteran Outcome Data
Veterans continually bear the brunt of deceptive advertising and fraud from schools seeking to exploit them for their hard-earned GI Bill benefits.
Oversight
Gov. Greg Abbott Orders Texas National Guard to Help with Migrant Arrests at the Border
In a letter to the major general of the Texas National Guard, Abbott said “more manpower is needed” at the border.
Oversight
GAO: Coast Guard Can Do More to Monitor Telework Use
Early in the pandemic, the service suffered from inadequate bandwidth and a laptop shortage, although those issues were alleviated by summer 2020.
Oversight
Watchdog: HHS Should Update Congress on COVID-19 Spending Time Frames
GAO offers 15 new recommendations for improving the federal government’s pandemic response.
Oversight
New COVID-19 Vaccine Warnings Don’t Mean It’s Unsafe – They Mean the System to Report Side Effects Is Working
Ongoing tracking is meant to spot very rare risks – like the connection between the Johnson & Johnson shot and Guillain-Barré syndrome. And it relies on public reporting.
Oversight
Inspector General Vindicates Top Global Media Agency Officials Suspended During Trump Administration
The situation was one of many controversial ones under the agency’s former CEO, who claims he was trying to “return this agency to fulfilling its legally mandated mission.”
Oversight
OPM Has Improved on Several Key Management Issues, Watchdog Finds
GAO lauded OPM’s efforts to reform performance management processes and provide better data to agencies, although 14 recommendations remain unresolved.
Oversight
Does the Trump Organization’s Indictment Mean Anything for the Company’s GSA Lease?
Experts said the indictment prompts speculation about possible suspension or debarment from federal business, but were unsure if GSA would act.
Oversight