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

GOP Lawmakers Question Ethics Waivers for Former Union Officials at OMB, OPM

House Republicans asked why Democrats have not objected to the use of ethics waivers by the Biden administration, although experts took no issue with the appointees in question.

Management

Ethics Experts Say Administration’s Hiring of Top Biden Advisor’s Kids Raises Questions

A White House official said the Ricchettis have relevant qualifications for their jobs and their levels of experience are similar to those of their predecessors.

Management

Analysis: Trump’s DOJ Was More Dangerous Than We Knew

Revelations since Biden’s inauguration are adding detail to a portrait of ethical decay at the department.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: Brian Miller and Pandemic Oversight

Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss her conversation with the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery and other oversight stories.

Management

Why Is the FDA Funded in Part by the Companies It Regulates?

The FDA receives almost half its funding from companies it regulates, such as drug and medical device makers. Is this something you should be concerned about?

Oversight

Were Biden’s Ethics Waivers for Labor Ties Justified?

“Not all ethics waivers are bad,” said a former director of the Office of Government Ethics.

Management

The Model for Fixing the DOJ

Joe Biden has inherited a department plagued by scandal, just as Gerald Ford did in 1974.

Management

Documents Show Trump Officials Skirted Rules to Reward Politically Connected and Untested Firms With Huge Pandemic Contracts

House Democrats investigating the COVID-19 response say Trump adviser Peter Navarro pressured agencies to award deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Management

Birx Joins Air-Cleaning Industry Amid Land Grab for Billions in Federal COVID Relief

Air-cleaning companies with limited oversight are targeting a growing market of schools desperate for COVID-19 protection. Donald Trump’s former adviser lands with one that built its business, in part, on ozone-emitting technology.

Management

GovExec Daily: The Hatch Act, Enforcement and Congress

The Project on Government Oversight's Walter Shaub and Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette rejoin the podcast to discuss how ethics rules can be strengthened.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: Biden's Ethics Executive Order

Former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub and his Project on Government Oversight colleague Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette join the podcast to discuss the president's first-day order.

Pay & Benefits

Senate Will Soon Consider Extra Paid Leave and Ethics Crackdown for Feds

Final legislative details affecting feds for two sweeping packages winding their way to the Senate.

Oversight

It’s not Just Trump – Presidents and Politicians Have Long Shredded Etiquette

'Mind your manners' isn't just something your mother told you. Manners – and civility – are an essential component of how things get done in government, and the Founding Fathers knew it.

Management

The Government Donald Trump Left Behind

Trump ultimately fell short on many of his signature promises, but his administration’s successes in cutting taxes, rolling back regulations and reshaping the judiciary will cast a long shadow.

Oversight

Will Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s Pick for Attorney General, Be Independent in that Role? History Says It’s Unlikely

History shows that attorneys general who are picked by – and serve at the pleasure of – the president are not as independent as they may be expected to be.

Management

Biden Issues Sweeping Ethics Plan for Appointees

Hours before departing the White House, former President Trump revoked his own ethics pledge, allowing current and former Trump appointees to immediately become lobbyists.

Oversight

Trump’s D.C. Hotel Under Renewed Scrutiny 

The Capitol riots, Trump’s second impeachment and the upcoming change in administrations raise new questions about whether the General Services Administration will continue the lease. 

Workforce

GovExec Daily: Feds' Anti-Gag Rights During the Transition

Government Accountability Project's Irvin McCullough and Aman Panjwani join the podcast to discuss whistleblower rights at the end of the Trump administration.