Oversight

GovExec Daily: The OPM-GSA Merger and the Threat to the Civil Service

POGO's Nick Schwellenbach joined the podcast to discuss a recent investigation that found that the Trump administration "could not lawfully" go forward with the merger.

Oversight

Trump Friends and Family Cleared for Millions in Small Business Bailout

Beneficiaries of the PPP included a lettuce farming venture backed by Trump’s son, Kushner companies, and a dentist who golfs with the president. The figures were released after a lawsuit by several news organizations, including ProPublica.

Oversight

Analysis: Has the IRS Hit Bottom?

Every year, the IRS annual report is an opportunity to measure how effectively the U.S. government has sabotaged its own ability to enforce its tax laws. This year’s report signals historic lows for U.S. tax enforcement.

Oversight

House Committee Investigates Whether Officials Misled Congress on OPM-GSA Merger

A recent watchdog group report cited notes from a phone call indicating the Trump administration was advised that the merger plan was illegal, an account that is at odds with what OPM officials testified before Congress last year.

Defense

Political Fight Over Russian Bounty on US Troops Appears to Warp Intel Debate

Democrats suspect the White House is trying to paint the assessment as less solid than it is.

Oversight

The 3 Weeks That Changed Everything

Imagine if the National Transportation Safety Board investigated America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Oversight

Analysis: Should the President Pick the Attorney General?

Attorneys general who serve at the pleasure of the president are more likely to act in pursuit of a particular political agenda, rather than solely in accordance with the rule of law.

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

Democrats Don’t Know How to Handle Bill Barr

Dems have a long list of grievances against Attorney General Barr, but the president’s ally at the Justice Department is proving an elusive target.

Defense

The First U.S. General to Call Trump a Bigot

Ricardo Sanchez, the retired former commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, becomes the first high-ranking military officer to call out the president for racism.

Management

Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization

Despite Trump’s declared exit from the WHO, officials continued working toward reforms and to prevent withdrawal. Then, they were told they must justify any cooperation with the WHO on the grounds of national security and public health safety.

Management

Analysis: The Voice of America Will Sound Like Trump

Under the president’s control, U.S.-funded broadcasters could turn into a presidential propaganda machine.

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.

Oversight

Democratic Senators Call for USAID to Investigate Anti-LGBT, Anti-Muslim Comments by Appointees

The Democrats’ request comes as the agency grapples with internal frustration over its approach to racism and bias.

Defense

Analysis: Why Soldiers Might Disobey the President’s Orders to Occupy U.S. Cities

There is a long line of military heroes who had the moral courage not to follow immoral orders. In the days ahead, some may have to consider what exactly their oath to the Constitution requires.

Oversight

'I Can’t Speak Negatively About the President,' Says Official Charged With Stimulus Oversight

President Donald Trump’s purge of watchdogs is on the mind of one of the newly hired officials charged with overseeing the more than $2 trillion CARES Act.

Defense

Trump Vows to Keep Confederates’ Names on US Army Bases

As the military wrestles with racism and its symbols, the commander-in-chief draws a line.