Project on Government Oversight#Reports

The Project on Military Procurement, an arm of the National Taxpayers Legal Fund, was founded by Dina Rasor in February 1981. The Project's mission was to make the public aware of 'waste, fraud, and fat" in U.S. defense spending, according to Rasor. In the organization's early days, Rasor worked with whistleblowers to expose design flaws in the M1 Abrams tank, which had undergone a "shocking (cost) increase" in 1980, according to Rasor.{{Cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0114/011458.html|title=Dina Rasor: blowing the whistle on the Pentagon|last=Webbe|first=Stephen|date=1982-01-14|work=Christian Science Monitor|access-date=2017-09-08|issn=0882-7729}} The Project first gained widespread attention in the early 1980s for publishing reports on "outrageously overpriced military spending", including a $7,600 coffee maker and a $436 hammer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/01/business/high-cost-of-military-parts.html|title=High Cost of Military Parts|last=Barron|first=James|date=1983-09-01|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-09-08|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jul/01/project-on-goverment-oversight|title=Would you pay $382 for a six-pack of Bud?|last=Chatterjee|first=Pratap|date=2011-07-01|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-09-08|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}

These prices were actually an artifact of government accounting rules, and include not just the cost of the equipment but also a portion of the overhead cost of the entire project they were associated with.[https://www.govexec.com/federal-news/1998/12/the-myth-of-the-600-hammer/5271/ The myth of the $600 hammer]

The organization expanded its scope beyond military spending and changed its name to the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) in 1990. Danielle Brian joined POGO as its executive director in 1993.{{Cite news|url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/danielle-brians-pogo-is-constantly-poking-prodding-exposing-government-waste-and-fraud/article/2533504|title=Danielle Brian's POGO is constantly poking, prodding, exposing government waste and fraud|last=McCabe|first=Neil|date=2013-07-25|work=Washington Examiner|access-date=2017-09-08|language=en}}{{dead link |date=January 2025}}

Other watchdog organizations have folded into POGO over the years. In 2012, the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information joined POGO.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/about/cdi-joins-pogo.html|title=CDI Joins POGO|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-08}} In 2016, the Center for Effective Government (known as OMB Watch until 2013) folded and became part of POGO.{{Cite news|url=http://www.govexec.com/oversight/2016/03/two-longstanding-good-government-groups-join-forces/126786/|title=Two Longstanding Good-Government Groups Join Forces|last=Clark|first=Charles S.|date=2016-03-18|work=Government Executive|access-date=2017-09-08}}

The organization's board of directors includes Harper's Magazine editor Andrew Cockburn, law professor Lia Epperson, former judge Wallace B. Jefferson, lawyer Debra Katz, and political scientist Norman Ornstein.{{cite web |title=Our Team |url=https://www.pogo.org/about/our-team |website=POGO |access-date=10 June 2024}}

POGO contributed to the successful effort to cancel Department of Energy's Superconducting Super Collider project, which had already lost a 1992 vote in the House of Representatives as its cost estimates ballooned from $4.4 billion to $12 billion. In June 1993, POGO publicized a Department of Energy Inspector General report it had received in draft form from a whistleblower. The Inspector General investigated $500,000 in questionable expenses over three years, including $12,000 for Christmas parties, $25,000 for catered lunches, and $21,000 for the purchase and maintenance of office plants.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-10-mn-1601-story.html Super-Collider Perks Under Investigation : Science: Documents show costly parties and catered lunches. Officials say expenses are legal but some were inappropriate.] The report also concluded that there was inadequate documentation for $203 million in project spending, or 40% of the money spent up to that point.{{cite news |title=Energy Chief Says Accounting Problems Snag Supercollider Project (Published 1993) |website=The New York Times |date=July 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622111537/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/01/us/energy-chief-says-accounting-problems-snag-supercollider-project.html |archive-date=2018-06-22 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/01/us/energy-chief-says-accounting-problems-snag-supercollider-project.html}}

POGO reported that in 1995 it was contacted by a woman who claimed her husband had died as the result of being exposed to toxic waste while working at Area 51. At the time, the U.S. government denied the existence of the Area 51, but POGO turned to George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley to sue the government on behalf of the woman and six former Area 51 workers for illnesses and death as a result of toxic waste exposure at Area 51.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/blog/2013/08/government-confirms-area-51-but-answers-still-secret.html|title=Government Confirms Area 51, But Answers Still Secret|last=Amey|first=Scott|date=2013-08-19|website=Project on Government Oversight|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogoarchives.org/m/gp/a/Brian%20Declaration.pdf|title=Declaration of Danielle Brian in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment and Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss|date=2004-09-03|publisher=United States District Court for the District of Columbia|access-date=2017-09-09}} POGO executive director Danielle Brian said that, during the litigation, the organization obtained an unclassified Area 51 security manual, which POGO gave to Turley and the plaintiffs so they could prove Area 51 existed. The Air Force then retroactively classified the manual, "threatened to prosecute anyone who had it in their possession, and demanded access to all of POGO's files to determine what other 'classified' information POGO possessed," Brian wrote in a signed legal declaration. The court ruled that the plaintiffs' case could not be proved because it could not confirm the existence of Area 51, however Area 51 was thereafter required to comply with environmental laws. In 2013, the government confirmed that Area 51 exists.{{Cite news|url=http://wtop.com/news/2013/08/us-releases-records-confirming-existence-of-area-51/|title=U.S. releases records confirming existence of Area 51|date=2013-08-15|work=WTOP|access-date=2017-09-09|language=en-US}}

POGO released a series of reports from 1995 to 1997 that said the U.S. federal government was owed billions of dollars in unpaid oil royalties from companies that drilled oil from public lands.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/our-work/reports/90s/nr-oil-1995.html|title=Department of Interior Looks the Other Way: The Government's Slick Deal for the Oil Industry|date=1995|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-09}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/our-work/reports/90s/nr-oil-1996.html|title=Wait! There Is More Money to Collect...Unpaid Oil Royalties Across the Nation|date=1996|website=Project on Government Oversight|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/our-work/reports/90s/nr-oil-19960301.html|title=With A Wink And A Nod: How the Oil Industry and the Department of Interior Are Cheating the American Public and California School Children|date=1996|website=Project on Government Oversight|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/our-work/reports/90s/nr-oil-1997.html|title=Drilling For The Truth: More Information Surfaces On Unpaid Oil Royalties|date=1997|website=Project on Government Oversight|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}} The reports claimed that the Department of the Interior's Mineral Management Service had a "sweetheart" relationship with oil companies that prevented the agency from going after the industry for moneys due.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1995/04/14/report-oil-firms-underpaid-royalties/4b6263b3-6b99-4f67-a94a-e3270ea22f63/|title=Report: Oil Firms Underpaid Royalties|last=Southerl|first=Daniel|date=1995-04-14|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2017-09-09|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286 |url-access=subscription}}{{Cite web|url=http://revellonretirement.blogs.money.cnn.com/1996/08/06/companies/govt_oil/|title=Watchdog group drills oil industry|date=1996-08-06|website=CNN Money|access-date=2017-09-09}}{{dead link |date=January 2025}}

In 2002, POGO launched the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, a website that compiles instances of "misconduct and alleged misconduct" by the top government contractors since 1995, according to the website.{{Cite web|url=http://www.contractormisconduct.org/about-fcmd|title=About FCMD|website=Federal Contractor Misconduct Database|language=en-us|access-date=2017-09-09}} POGO's database was the inspiration for a similar federal government database that was created by the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act.{{Cite web|url=https://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2008/11/04/contractor-watchdog-updates-misconduct-database.aspx|title=Contractor watchdog updates misconduct database|last=Lipowicz|first=Alice|date=2008-11-04|website=Washington Technology|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}} When POGO updated its database in 2010, it was reported that the organization had "found 642 instances since 1995 of misconduct by the top 100 firms, resulting in $18.7 billion in penalties."{{Cite news|url=http://www.govexec.com/oversight/2010/04/watchdog-group-releases-updated-contractor-misconduct-database/31358/|title=Watchdog group releases updated contractor misconduct database|last=Newell Jochum|first=Elizabeth|date=2010-04-23|work=Government Executive|access-date=2017-09-09}}

In 2004, POGO filed a lawsuit against then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft for illegally retroactively classifying documents critical of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The classification came to light after Sibel Edmonds, an FBI translator, discovered that intercepted memos relevant to the September 11 terrorist attacks had been ignored due to poor translation.{{Cite web|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/07/05/translator_in_eye_of_storm_on_retroactive_classification/?page=full|title=Translator in eye of storm on retroactive classification|last=Kornblut|first=Anne E.|date=2007-07-05|website=The Boston Globe|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}} POGO won the lawsuit in 2005.{{Cite web|url=https://www.citizen.org/media/press-releases/justice-department-cavesin-allows-publication-retroactively-classified|title=Justice Department Caves In: Allows Publication of Retroactively Classified Information|date=2005-02-22|website=Public Citizen|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}}

In 2006, POGO launched a series of nonpartisan trainings to teach congressional staff how to conduct oversight and investigations.{{Cite news|url=http://www.govexec.com/management/2006/12/congressional-staff-members-gather-tips-on-oversight/23232/|title=Congressional staff members gather tips on oversight|last=Singer|first=Paul W.|date=2006-12-01|work=Government Executive|access-date=2017-09-09}} Since then, POGO has hosted monthly training, as well as specialized training upon request, according to the organization's website.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/coi/|title=Congressional Oversight Initiative|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-09}}

In 2008, POGO released a report that documented corruption and mismanagement in the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) royalty-in-kind program. The investigation revealed inadequate royalty accounting, as well as the provision of sex, drugs, and other favors to MMS officials by oil company representatives in exchange for favorable business deals.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/our-work/reports/2008/nr-rik-20080918.html|title=Drilling the Taxpayer: Department of Interior's Royalty-In-Kind Program|date=2008-09-18|website=Project on Government Oversight|language=en|access-date=2017-09-11}} Following this report and others by the federal Government Accountability Office, the royalty in-kind program was terminated, and MMS was split into three different bureaus.DePillis, Lydia (September 18, 2009). [http://www.tnr.com/blog/no-more-sex-and-drugs-the-interior-department "No More Sex and Drugs in the Interior Department"]. The New Republic. Retrieved 2010-07-01.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/09/16/16greenwire-interior-to-eliminate-royalty-in-kind-program-81731.html?pagewanted=all|title=Interior to Eliminate Royalty-In-Kind Program|last1=Straub|first1=Noelle|last2=Geman|first2=Ben|date=2009-09-16|website=The New York Times|access-date=2017-09-11}}Straub, Noelle (May 20, 2010). [https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/05/20/20greenwire-interior-unveils-plan-to-split-mms-into-3-agen-72654.html "Interior Unveils Plan to Split MMS Into 3 Agencies"]. The New York Times.

In 2009, POGO conducted an investigation into ArmorGroup, a private security contractor in charge of protecting the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. POGO uncovered and released documents, photos, and videos depicting drunken behavior, nudity, and hazing among the guards.{{Cite news|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/animal-house-afghanistan/|title=Animal House in Afghanistan|last=Schulman|first=Daniel|date=2009-09-01|work=Mother Jones|access-date=2017-09-09|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/our-work/letters/2009/co-gp-20090901.html|title=POGO Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding U.S. Embassy in Kabul|last=Brian|first=Danielle|date=2009-09-01|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-09}} POGO's investigation led to the dismissal of several managers and eight guards, the resignation of an additional two guards, and ultimately, the cancellation of the U.S. military's contract with ArmorGroup.{{Cite news|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/12/armorgroup-axed-kabul-embassy-contract/|title=ArmorGroup Loses Kabul Embassy Contract|last=Schulman|first=Daniel|date=2009-12-08|work=Mother Jones|access-date=2017-09-09|language=en-US}}

POGO has conducted numerous investigations into the Los Alamos National Laboratory.[http://www.pogo.org/investigations/nuclear-security/lanl.html Los Alamos National Laboratory Files] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707025243/http://www.pogo.org/investigations/nuclear-security/lanl.html |date=2010-07-07 }}. Project on Government Oversight website. LANL has been the subject of several controversies in the past, including employees charging personal expenses to government accounts,Schactman, Noah. (November 8, 2002) [https://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2002/11/56270 "Los Alamos on Hot Seat Again]. Wired News. lost equipment or documents (including hundreds of computers containing classified information),Kilian, Michael. (January 3, 2003) [http://pogoarchives.org/m/ep/ep-030103-chicagotribune.pdf "Los Alamos Loses Director Under Clouds of Scandals"](PDF). Chicago Tribune.Trulock, Notra. (March 5, 2003) [http://www.aim.org/publications/weekly_column/2003/03/05.html "Lab Scandal Undermines Nuclear Credibility]. Accuracy in Media.Trounson, Rebecca and Ralph Vartabedian. (January 29, 2005) [http://pogoarchives.org/m/hsp/hsp-LATimes-01292005.pdf "A Slew of Safety, Security Weaknesses Found at Los Alamos]. Los Angeles Times. and a memorandum to employees to "be careful what they say" to safety and security inspectors.Wald, Matthew. (July 5, 2003) [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/05/world/threats-responses-nuclear-safety-arms-official-brushes-off-complaint-about-audit.html "Arms Official Brushes Off a Complaint About Audit"]. New York Times. In 2009, 69 computers disappeared, although plant officials insisted that the computers did not contain the most highly classified information.Reichbach, Matthew. (February 12, 2009) [http://newmexicoindependent.com/18263/69-computers-missing-at-lanl "69 Computers Missing at LANL"]. The New Mexico Independent. 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.Vartabedian, Ralph. (March 26, 2009) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-mar-26-na-nuke26-story.html "Los Alamos' Security Flaws Exposed"]. Los Angeles Times.Webb, Greg. (February 27, 2009). [http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/ts_20090227_5921.php "New Security Lapse at Los Alamos Triggers Angry Response from Energy Department"]. NTI.

Starting in 2011, POGO conducted an investigation into conflicts of interest of an advisory committee at the Food and Drug Administration that was reviewing the Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills. POGO found that four members of the committee had ties to either the maker of the pills or the maker of a generic version, but did not announce the conflicts before endorsing the drugs.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-stanford-doctor-in-birth-control-vote-had-ties-to--2012jan20-htmlstory.html|title=Stanford doctor in birth control vote had ties to pill's maker|date=2012-01-20|work=San Diego Union Tribune|access-date=2017-09-09|agency=The Center for Investigative Reporting|language=en-US}} Both Yaz and Yasmin have been linked to fatal blood clots in some users.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/health/policy/stronger-label-urged-for-yaz-and-yasmin-contraceptives.html|title=Stronger Label Urged for Yaz and Yasmin Contraceptives|last=Belluck|first=Pam|date=2011-12-08|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-09-09|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

In 2012, POGO working with whistleblower retired Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger, advocated for openness regarding toxic water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. From 1953 until at least 1985, U.S. Marines and their families living at Camp Lejeune had used tap water that contained carcinogens and other harmful chemicals leaking from a nearby dump site for radioactive material.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/report-camp-lejeune-water-contaminated-at-unprecedented-levels/2108929/|title=Report: Camp Lejeune water highly contaminated with carcinogens|last=Levesque|first=William R.|date=2013-03-14|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en-us|access-date=2017-09-11}} POGO and other organizations claimed in 2012 that the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps hid information about the nature and extent of the contamination, citing a report released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry that was redacted by the Navy.{{Cite web|url=http://www.openthegovernment.org/sites/default/files/Secretary%20Panetta%20II%20on%20Camp%20Lejeune%201.23.2012.pdf|title=Letter to Secretary of Defense Panetta|date=2012-01-24|website=Open The Government|access-date=2017-09-11}} Later that year, the U.S. Senate voted to approve healthcare for those who lived at Camp Lejeune and suffered health problems.{{Cite news|url=http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2012/07/closer-than-ever-to-justice-for-camp-lejeune-water-contamination-victims.html|title=Closer Than Ever to Justice for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Victims|last=Canterbury|first=Angela|date=2012-09-19|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-11}} In 2017, the Department of Veterans' Affairs finalized rules to provide benefits for people who had been diagnosed with certain diseases as a result of living at Camp Lejeune.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/us-agrees-to-pay-billions-to-marines-affected-by-toxic-water-at-camp/2309435/|title=U.S. agrees to pay billions to Marines affected by toxic water at Camp Lejeune|last=Levesque|first=William R.|date=2017-01-12|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en-us|access-date=2017-09-11}}

POGO has conducted many investigations into defense spending, particularly in cases where, "national security and needs of the troops have been compromised by greed, lack of oversight, and in many cases, sheer incompetence," according to its website.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/our-work/national-security.html|title=Our Work - National Security|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-11}} Some of the weapons systems that POGO has been critical of include the littoral combat ship,{{Cite news|url=http://www.pogo.org/straus/issues/weapons/2016/overhaul-of-littoral-combat.html|title=Overhaul of Littoral Combat Ship Program Likely to Increase Risks and Costs|last1=Smithberger|first1=Mandy|date=2016-12-13|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-11|last2=Sprey|first2=Pierre}} the F/A-22 fighter aircraft,{{Cite news|url=http://www.pogo.org/straus/issues/weapons/2005/air-forces-fa-22-is-a-relic-and-a-loser.html|title=Air Force's F/A-22 is a Relic and a Loser|last=Wheeler|first=Winslow|date=2005-02-02|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-11}} and the F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft.{{Cite news|url=http://www.pogo.org/straus/issues/weapons/2014/how-much-does-an-f-35-cost.html|title=How Much Does an F-35 Actually Cost?|last=Wheeler|first=Winslow|date=2017-07-29|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-11}} On the other hand, POGO has supported the production of the A-10 aircraft for its relative effectiveness and inexpensiveness compared to what POGO considers more wasteful weapons.{{Cite news|url=http://www.pogo.org/straus/issues/weapons/2017/air-force-headquarters-starving-a-10-squadrons-again.html|title=Air Force Headquarters Starving A-10 Squadrons (Again)|last1=Grazier|first1=Dan|date=2017-06-16|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-11|last2=Smithberger|first2=Mandy}}

In 2012, the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information moved to POGO with director and military analyst Winslow Wheeler.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pogo.org/straus/about/cdi-at-pogo.html|title=CDI at POGO|website=Project on Government Oversight|access-date=2017-09-11}} Wheeler retired in 2015.{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/winslow-wheeler-114795|title=Winslow Wheeler's War|last=Wright|first=Austin|date=2015-02-01|work=POLITICO Magazine|access-date=2017-09-11}}

POGO, along with several other public interest groups, was 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.{{cite web|url=http://pogoarchives.org/m/gp/gp-OSCcomplaint-03032005.pdf|title=Complaint of Prohibited Personnel Practices Against Special Counsel Scott Bloch|author=Adams & Katz, Esq|date=March 3, 2005|publisher=POGO|access-date=August 3, 2010}} When these accusations led to a congressional investigation of Bloch, Bloch allegedly hired a technology company to wipe the memory 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.Wilke, John (November 28, 2007). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119621772122306160?mod=hpp_us_whats_news "Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself."] The Wall Street Journal Bloch ultimately resigned his position as head of the OSC and pleaded guilty to withholding information from Congress.Jordan, Lara Jakes (October 21, 2008). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102003561.html "U.S. Special Counsel Bloch to Resign"] The Washington Post.

POGO has worked to protect the rights of several specific whistleblowers—including Franz Gayl, who criticized military leaders' decision to not deliver protective armored vehicles called MRAPs to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, who challenged military leaders' depictions of the "rosy" situation on the ground in Afghanistan—by sending letters to Congress and the agencies involved.Ukman, Jason (November 17, 2011). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/a-whistleblower-gets-his-security-clearance-back/2011/11/17/gIQAWuJPUN_blog.html "Whistleblower Franz Gayl gets his job back"] The Washington Post.Davis, Lt. Col. Daniel. [http://armedforcesjournal.com/2012/02/8904030 "Truth, lies and Afghanistan"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605111626/http://armedforcesjournal.com/2012/02/8904030 |date=2012-06-05 }} Armed Forces Journal.[http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/letters/whistleblower-issues/wp-wi-20101119.html Solidarity Letter in Support of Whistleblower Franz Gayl] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717095912/http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/letters/whistleblower-issues/wp-wi-20101119.html |date=2012-07-17 }} Project on Government Oversight. November 19, 2010.[http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/letters/whistleblower-issues/wi-wp-20120217-afghanistan-allegations-whistleblower-daniel-davis.html POGO Calls for Hearings on Afghanistan Allegations from Whistleblower Lt. Col. Daniel Davis] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717014432/http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/letters/whistleblower-issues/wi-wp-20120217-afghanistan-allegations-whistleblower-daniel-davis.html |date=2012-07-17 }} Project on Government Oversight. February 17, 2012.

In 1998, POGO, the Department of Justice, and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit under the False Claims Act, suing the largest oil and gas companies operating in the United States. The lawsuit alleged that the companies had defrauded the government by underpaying royalties owed for drilling on federal lands. By 2002, 15 companies had settled, paying a total of almost $440 million.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/business/yourmoney/03whistle.html|title=Blowing the Whistle on Big Oil|last=Andrews|first=Edmund L.|date=2006-12-03|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-09-09|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} POGO was awarded about $1.2 million from the settlements in 1998. That year, POGO shared its settlement with two federal employee whistleblowers, saying the payment was a "Public Service Award" to the whistleblowers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2012/12/17/mistrial-declared-in-case-of-watchdog-group|title=Mistrial declared in case of watchdog group|last=Frommer|first=Frederic J.|date=2012-12-17|agency=Associated Press|access-date=2017-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218010458/http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2012/12/17/mistrial-declared-in-case-of-watchdog-group|archive-date=2012-12-18|url-status=dead}}

Following the news of the award in 1999, U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski asked the General Accounting Office to investigate whether the payment represented "improper influence" on the Department of the Interior's new oil royalty valuation policy. The agency released a report in 2000 that said it appeared POGO paid the two employees to influence the Department of the Interior to take actions and make policies that benefited POGO.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8jFG884WKQC&q=Project+On+Government+Oversight&pg=PA4|title=Report on an Inquiry into Payments Made by the Project on Government Oversight to Two Federal Officials|publisher=General Accounting Office|date=July 2000|isbn=9781428918436|language=en}} While calling the payments a "mistake" on POGO's part, U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman disputed the agency's report, saying that it did not provide any evidence that the payments were improper.Bingaman, Jeff (U.S. Sen) (September 5, 2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=vLg4iJR0J9kC&dq=Project+On+Government+Oversight&pg=PA16998 Congressional Record, 106th Congress, Volume 145 Part 12. Pg. 16998] U.S. Government Printing Office.

In 2000, U.S. Representative Don Young threatened bringing a Contempt of Congress charge against POGO, after the organization refused to comply with a House of Representatives subpoena for documents relating to the payments.[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB05285C5D897A1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM House Panel Seeks Contempt of Congress Charges Against Watchdog Group - Organization exposed oil companies' underpayment of royalties to government]. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (AP), July 20, 2000. Retrieved 2010-07-15. Young later withdrew the charge, lacking the votes for passage.{{Cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AS&p_theme=as&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F793BC69905225D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Whistle-blower vote stopped|last=Whitney|first=David|date=2000-10-28|website=Alaska Dispatch|access-date=2017-09-09}} The report, hearings, and contempt threat were described by Martin Lobel, an attorney involved in the case, as being driven by "oil company congressional lapdogs" bent on hounding oil industry enemies and derailing regulatory reform.Lobel, Martin (September 20, 2000). [http://www.tompaine.com/Archive/scontent/3642.html WITH A VENGEANCE: Big Oil Uses Its Congressional Lapdogs to Hound Its Enemies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110730172358/http://www.tompaine.com/Archive/scontent/3642.html |date=2011-07-30 }}. TomPaine.com; Institute for America's Future

In 2003, the Department of Justice filed a civil action against POGO and one of the federal employees, and a U.S. district judge ruled in favor of the agency. POGO appealed the case and went to trial in 2008, where a jury found POGO and the federal employee had violated the law. The judge ordered POGO to pay only $120,000 because he said the organization had acted "in good faith" when they made the payments. However, in 2010, the appeals court found the district judge had made a mistake in his directions to the jury. POGO and the agency went to trial again in 2012, but a mistrial was declared after jurors couldn't come to a unanimous verdict. A month later, in 2013, the Department of Justice said it would not litigate on the matter for a third time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.law360.com/articles/404450|title=DOJ Shuns 3rd Trial In POGO Gov't Worker Payment Case|last=Teichert|first=Erica|date=2013-12-03|website=Law360|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}}

In 2002, 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.{{cite web |last1=Vogel |first1=Barry |last2=Ruch |first2=Jeff |title=The Art of Anonymous Activism |url=https://www.radio4all.net/program/10884 |website=www.radio4all.net |access-date=17 April 2024 |date=14 January 2005}}[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BX&s_site=sunherald&p_multi=BX&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FB33521B5E539F5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Your life may depend on a whistleblower, so protect him]. Sun Herald p. E3. December 11, 2002. Retrieved 2010-08-03. (Payment required)

In 2009, POGO published The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right, which is a guide geared towards congressional staffers; an updated second edition was published in 2015.{{cite web |title=Oversight Manuals for Congressional Lawmakers |url=https://levin-center.org/congressional-lawmakers/congressional-oversight-resources/oversight-manuals/ |website=Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy |publisher=Wayne State University Law School |access-date=17 April 2024 |location=Detroit, Michigan |date=}}{{Cite book|url=http://www.pogoarchives.org/m/coi/pogo-the-art-of-congressional-oversight-handbook.pdf|title=The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right|website=Project on Government Oversight|year=2015|isbn=978-0-9965627-0-6}}

In 2009, POGO received the Society of Professional Journalists' Sunshine Award for its work uncovering wasteful spending in the Air Force, investigating the Minerals Management Service at the Department of the Interior, and compiling the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database.{{Cite web|url=http://www.spj.org/news.asp?REF=900|title=SPJ honors the Project On Government Oversight with the Sunshine Award|date=2009-07-09|publisher=Society of Professional Journalists|access-date=2017-09-08}}

In 2015, POGO received five awards from the Washington, DC, chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. POGO won the Non-breaking News Award for its coverage of issues at the Department of Veterans' Affairs; two Investigative Reporting Awards for its coverage of the revolving door in government and problems at the Department of Justice; the Series award also for its coverage of the revolving door; and the Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award also for its coverage of the Department of Justice.{{Cite web|url=http://spjdc.org/2015/06/2015-dateline-award-winners/|title=2015 Dateline Award Winners|date=2015-06-09|website=Society of Professional Journalists Washington, D.C. Professional Chapter|access-date=2017-09-08}}

• Center for Defense Information
• Center for Effective Government

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• {{official|https://www.pogo.org/}}
• [https://www.pogo.org/projects-and-partnerships Projects and Partnerships] on POGO website

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Category:Government watchdog groups in the United States

Category:Whistleblower support organizations

Category:Organizations established in 1981

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.

Category:Anti-corruption agencies