Management

You Can Make Millions Selling Masks to the Government in Three Easy Steps

The federal government is essentially providing seed money to PPE startups, including some run by people accused of fraud. Mask brokers describe a simple blueprint for buying masks from China to get rich.

Oversight

Trump Says He 'Disagreed' With Privately Funded Wall, So Why Did His Administration Award the Builder $1.7 Billion in Contracts to Erect More Walls?

President Trump now claims this privately funded border wall — touted as the “Lamborghini” of fences — was built to “make me look bad,” even though the project’s builder and funders are Trump supporters.

Oversight

One Federal Agency Was Suing Him for Fraud. Another Paid His Company Millions for Masks.

Court records show the federal government gave $20 million in contracts to a company partly controlled by a man with a history of shady business practices.

Oversight

Eroding Private Border Wall to Get an Engineering Inspection Just Months After Completion

Months after the “Lamborghini” of border walls was built along the Rio Grande, the builder agreed to an engineering inspection of his controversial structure. Experts say the wall is showing signs of erosion that threatens its stability.

Management

He Built a Privately Funded Border Wall. It’s Already at Risk of Falling Down if Not Fixed.

Trump supporters funded a private border wall on the banks of the Rio Grande, helping the builder secure $1.7 billion in federal contracts. Now the “Lamborghini” of border walls is in danger of falling into the river if nothing is done, experts say.

Management

FEMA Ordered $10.2 Million in COVID-19 Testing Kits It’s Now Warning States Not to Use

The faulty lab equipment sold by a company whose owner has faced fraud allegations is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general.

Management

Federal Contract Spending Reaches Its Highest Level Ever in Fiscal 2019, Marking 4 Straight Years of Growth

Spending is expected to increase even more for fiscal 2020, exceeding $600 billion even before coronavirus stimulus funding is included. 

Oversight

A Company Run by a White House 'Volunteer' With No Experience in Medical Supplies Got $2.4 Million From the Feds for Medical Supplies

A $2.4 million deal to supply the Bureau of Prisons with surgical gowns was the second multimillion dollar contract for coronavirus supplies that went to somebody who did work for the White House but had little relevant experience.

Oversight

Pandemic Oversight Committee Launches Contract Spending Tracker

The committee had stated in its first report that financial management could be a top challenge for agencies. 

Management

The Trump Administration Paid Millions for Test Tubes — and Got Unusable Mini Soda Bottles

The plastic tubes supplied for coronavirus testing by Fillakit, a first-time federal contractor with a sketchy owner, don’t even fit the racks used to analyze samples. And they may be contaminated anyway.

Management

Federal Agencies Have Spent Millions on KN95 Masks, Often Without Knowing Who Made Them

Government employees at several agencies are relying on KN95 masks that the agencies cannot guarantee offer the most protection. Some agencies have paid little attention to important manufacturing details and been tripped up by shifting regulations.

Management

Contractors for Trump’s Controversial $3 Billion Food Aid Program Have Hired a Longtime Lobbyist to Tout Their Work

Lawmakers are asking why some federal contractors in Trump’s food aid program apparently lack qualifications to deliver the goods. Companies hired a consultant to tell positive stories.

Management

This Treasury Official Is Running the Bailout. It’s Been Great for His Family.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich has an increasingly prominent role. He still has ties to his family’s investment firm, which is a major beneficiary of the Treasury’s bailout actions.

Management

Masks Sold by Former White House Official to Navajo Hospitals Don’t Meet FDA Standards

New information from the Indian Health Service calls into question why the agency purchased expensive medical gear that it now cannot use as intended.

Oversight

Democratic Congressman Calls for Probe Into Former White House Official’s $3 Million Mask Deal

Trump’s former deputy chief of staff won a $3 million federal contract just days after registering his company. He delivered masks to Navajo hospitals that may not work. Rep. Gerry Connolly asked the HHS inspector general’s office to look into it.

Management

The Feds Gave a Former White House Official $3 Million to Supply Masks to Navajo Hospitals. Some May Not Work.

Zach Fuentes, former deputy chief of staff to President Trump, won the contract just days after registering his company. He sold Chinese masks to the government just as federal regulators were scrutinizing foreign-made equipment.

Management

The VA Grand Challenge: Looking for Love in The Wrong Places

To solve a problem as complex and critical as veteran suicide, throw out the procurement playbook.

Oversight

Wedding Planner, Caterer, 'Brand Builder': Trump’s Food Aid Program Is Paying $100+ Million to Unlicensed Dealers

Contractors with no experience in food distribution are looking for suppliers on Facebook while some food banks scramble to find desperately needed deliveries.

Management

Trump Administration Waives Environmental Safeguards to Fast-Track 69 Miles of Border Fence Construction

The White House said in February its goal was to build 450 additional miles of barrier by the end of 2020. The 69 miles would be in addition to a 52-mile project also underway in Webb County.

Oversight

A Trump Official Tried to Fast-Track Funding for His Friend’s Unproven COVID-19 'Treatment,' Whistleblower Says

Whistleblowing virologist Rick Bright says that his Trump-appointed boss tried to fast-track funding for a friend’s coronavirus treatment, and that he was reassigned for insisting that funding be reserved for “safe and scientifically vetted solutions.”