Project on Government Oversight

Overview

The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit watchdog organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1981 and operating as a US 501(c)(3) charity, POGO investigates corruption, abuse of power, and waste across the federal government, and champions commonsense policy reforms aimed at making that government more effective, accountable, and equitable. POGO's investigators work with whistleblowers and inside sources, use Freedom of Information Act requests and other research tools to document findings, and then bring those findings to the media, the public, and directly to Congress. The organization has a long track record of testimony before congressional committees—12 times in 2019 alone—and its work has prompted legislative action, inspector-general investigations, and policy change across administrations of both parties. CharityWatch awarded POGO an A rating in September 2024, with 80 percent of expenditures going to programs and a cost of $12 to raise $100 in contributions.

History and Founding

POGO was established in February 1981 by Dina Rasor as the Project on Military Procurement, an arm of the National Taxpayers Legal Fund. Its original mission was narrow and urgent: to expose waste, fraud, and excess in US defence spending at a moment when the Pentagon budget was expanding rapidly under the Reagan administration. Working with military whistleblowers, Rasor's small organisation quickly made national headlines with reports on egregiously overpriced spare parts — a $7,600 coffee maker, a $436 hammer — figures that became totemic symbols of Pentagon procurement dysfunction. In its early years POGO also worked to expose design flaws in the M1 Abrams tank and contributed to the 1993 cancellation of the Department of Energy's Superconducting Super Collider, whose cost estimates had ballooned from $4.4 billion to $12 billion.

As its scope grew, the organization renamed itself the Project on Government Oversight in 1990, signaling an expansion beyond military spending to the federal government as a whole. Danielle Brian, who has led the organisation ever since, joined as executive director in 1993. Over the following decades POGO absorbed several allied organizations: the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information joined in 2012; the Center for Effective Government (formerly OMB Watch) in 2016; The Constitution Project — which focused on constitutional rights and checks and balances — in 2017; and Open The Government, a transparency coalition centred on racial equity, in 2022. Each merger deepened POGO's expertise and broadened its reach.

Programs and Work

Investigative journalism. POGO's core output is original investigative reporting, published at pogo.org and widely picked up by national media. Investigations are led by staff reporters working alongside attorneys and policy analysts, frequently in partnership with government insiders and whistleblowers. Recent investigations have examined ICE detention conditions, DHS inspector-general misconduct, the Epstein files' ties to Defense Department officials, Pentagon contractor conflicts of interest, and the role of lobbyists in federal contracting decisions. POGO maintains an editorial independence policy and a journalism ethics code, and operates its own journalism advisory panel.

Whistleblower support. POGO has been a central resource for federal employees considering disclosure since its earliest days. Its Whistleblower Resources section publishes a detailed survival guide — covering what to consider before blowing the whistle, how to protect oneself, and what legal rights apply — along with a directory of law firms experienced in whistleblower cases. POGO does not provide legal representation but actively investigates credible tips about systemic federal corruption, waste, fraud, or abuse.

Congressional Oversight Initiative. Launched in 2006, this program trains congressional staff from both parties in the practical skills needed to conduct effective oversight investigations — how to use subpoena power, evaluate witnesses, review documents, and build a bipartisan investigative record. POGO publishes The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right (first edition 2009, updated 2015), a guide aimed directly at Hill staff. The Paper Trail newsletter, sent twice weekly, delivers oversight news specifically to legislative aides.

Public databases. POGO has built and maintained several influential public databases tracking government contractor behavior and executive-branch accountability. The Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, launched in 2002 and covering misconduct by the top 100 government contractors since 1995, directly inspired a similar government-run database created by the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act. By 2010 POGO's database had documented 642 instances of misconduct resulting in $18.7 billion in penalties. The Pentagon Revolving Door Database tracked the movement of senior officials between the military and defense industry. The Inspector General Vacancy Tracker monitors unfilled watchdog positions. The COVID Relief Spending Tracker documented pandemic-era disbursements.

National security and defense reform. Through the Center for Defense Information — absorbed in 2012 — POGO maintains a Military Advisory Board of former military officers who provide independent analysis of Pentagon policy and procurement. POGO has been persistently critical of major weapons programmes whose costs and performance it considers inadequate relative to promises, including the littoral combat ship, the F/A-22, and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It also successfully advocated for healthcare benefits for Marines and families sickened by toxic water contamination at Camp Lejeune — a campaign POGO waged from 2012 onward that resulted in Senate action that year and Department of Veterans' Affairs benefit rules in 2017.

Podcasts. POGO produces two podcasts. Bad Watchdog, hosted by reporter Maren Machles, is a narrative investigative series; its first season examined DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari's obstruction of oversight (including the disappearance of January 6th text messages), and its second season investigated DHS more broadly, tracing the agency's focus on migration detention over far-right security threats. The podcast won two gold medals at the 2025 Signal Awards, a gold at the Davey Awards, and a silver at the Anthem Awards, among other honours. The Continuous Action, hosted by former Office of Government Ethics director Walter Shaub, features expert discussions on democratic accountability and government ethics.

Access and Usage

All of POGO's investigative reporting, policy analyses, reports, fact sheets, testimonies, and public comments are freely available at pogo.org. The whistleblower survival guide and resource directory are published openly, with an explicit caution to users not to access them on government, contractor, or grantee equipment. Congressional staff can access the Congressional Oversight Initiative's training schedule, the Paper Trail newsletter, and POGO's oversight guides directly through the site. POGO's podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. POGO accepts tips through a secure channel on its website. The organisation is funded by individuals, foundations, and some corporate donors; its largest recent foundation supporters include Pierre Omidyar's Democracy Fund ($1.95 million in 2024) and the Foundation for the Carolinas ($700,000 in 2024). POGO does not disclose its full donor list.