Transparency

Democrats Propose Requiring Federal Law Enforcement Officers to Identify Themselves During Protests

“Transparency is a building block of public trust and federal law enforcement officials who hid their identities were not serving the public's interest,” said one lawmaker.

Courtney Bublé
June 12, 2020

Democrats Propose Requiring Federal Law Enforcement Officers to Identify Themselves During Protests

“Transparency is a building block of public trust and federal law enforcement officials who hid their identities were not serving the public's interest,” said one lawmaker.

Courtney Bublé
June 12, 2020

Justice Department Advises Agencies on Continuing to Meet FOIA Requests During the Pandemic

Watchdogs and journalists have been using FOIA to shed light on the federal government’s coronavirus actions.

Courtney Bublé
May 29, 2020

Government Transparency Is More Critical Now Than Ever, Experts Say

“If there was ever a time for citizen oversight and media oversight and, obviously, insider oversight ... it’s now,” says one former USAID official.

Courtney Bublé
March 20, 2020

GovExec Daily: Transparency in the Trump Administration

Courtney Bublé and Tom Shoop join the podcast to examine the White House's claim that it is the "most transparent ever."

Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler
March 10, 2020

Transparency in the Trump Era

To hold government officials and agencies accountable, citizens need timely and accurate information about their work.

Courtney Bublé
March 10, 2020

Bipartisan Bill Would Make It Easier for the Public to See How Agencies Plan to Spend Their Budgets

House and Senate panels advanced the legislation last week.

Courtney Bublé
March 9, 2020

The Costs of Spying

A new study reveals that from 2015 to 2019, the NSA’s call-metadata program cost taxpayers $100 million and provided practically no useful information.

Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic
February 29, 2020

GovExec Daily: Bureaucrat-Bashing at the Highest Levels of Government

With President Trump aiming his words increasingly at federal employees, Tom Shoop explains why we're reaching a dangerous new low.

Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler
February 27, 2020

How EPA Could Be More Transparent With the Public

Think tank suggests more support for the newly established C-suite level position of chief data officer.

Courtney Bublé
February 24, 2020

Democratic Candidates Defend Their Records on Transparency During Nevada Primary Debate

Presidential contenders who have criticized Trump for his secrecy were forced to explain their own actions.

Courtney Bublé
February 20, 2020

Viewpoint: Bill Barr Must Resign

The attorney general is working to destroy the integrity and independence of the Justice Department, in order to make Donald Trump a president who can operate above the law.

Donald Ayer, The Atlantic
February 18, 2020

The Founding Generation Showed Their Patriotism With Their Money

History suggests the value of a broader understanding of patriotism, one that goes beyond saluting-the-flag loyalty and battlefield bravery.

Tom Shachtman, The Atlantic
February 7, 2020

Viewpoint: Trump’s Defense Against Subpoenas Makes No Legal Sense

Like so many contentions of the president’s legal team, this is malarkey thinly draped with plausible-sounding distortions of facts, rules, court opinions, and the Constitution itself.

Frank O. Bowman III, The Atlantic
January 28, 2020

The Worst Kind of Medical Debt

When treated at military hospitals, civilians can end up with tens of thousands of dollars in debt that the federal government relentlessly tries to collect.

Olga Khazan and Jared Bennett, The Atlantic
January 21, 2020

The Civil Servant Who Changes the Constitution

One federal employee will determine whether the ERA gets added to America’s founding document—the question is which authority he’ll turn to for guidance.

Robinson Woodward-Burns, The Atlantic
January 17, 2020

These Emails Show a Trump Official Helping Her Former Chemical Industry Colleagues

A lobbyist turned senior Agriculture Department official repeatedly shared information with her former industry on policy and enforcement. “It’s highly inappropriate conduct,” said one ethics expert.

Derek Kravitz, ProPublica
January 14, 2020

Analysis: Can the Constitution Stop the Government from Lying to the Public?

When a person or agency backed by the power and resources of the government tells a lie, it sometimes causes harm that only the government can inflict.

Helen Norton, The Conversation
January 14, 2020

Trump Objects to Certain Transparency Requirements of 2020 Spending and Policy Bills

The provisions he opposes are for both public and classified matters.

Courtney Bublé
January 6, 2020

The Lessons of the Afghanistan Papers

Americans need leaders who can tell them how and when they will decide to pull the plug.

Kevin Huggard and Tamara Cofman Wittes, The Atlantic
December 17, 2019

Analysis: Courts Have Avoided Refereeing Between Congress and the President, but Trump May Force Them to Wade In

President Trump refuses to provide information to lawmakers in the impeachment inquiry. But courts have been reluctant to take such cases for fear of upsetting the government's balance of power.

Kirsten Carlson
December 9, 2019

The Trump Administration Gutted the Staff Overseeing $1 Billion in Aid to Iraq. A Watchdog Is Raising Red Flags.

A new report warns that USAID may not be able to effectively oversee $1.16 billion in foreign aid to Iraq — including to Christian groups Vice President Mike Pence’s office favored — after the administration cut much of its on-the-ground staff.

Yeganeh Torbati, ProPublica
November 22, 2019

Watchdogs and journalists have been using FOIA to shed light on the federal government’s coronavirus actions.

“If there was ever a time for citizen oversight and media oversight and, obviously, insider oversight ... it’s now,” says one former USAID official.

Courtney Bublé and Tom Shoop join the podcast to examine the White House's claim that it is the "most transparent ever."

To hold government officials and agencies accountable, citizens need timely and accurate information about their work.

House and Senate panels advanced the legislation last week.

A new study reveals that from 2015 to 2019, the NSA’s call-metadata program cost taxpayers $100 million and provided practically no useful information.

With President Trump aiming his words increasingly at federal employees, Tom Shoop explains why we're reaching a dangerous new low.

Think tank suggests more support for the newly established C-suite level position of chief data officer.

Presidential contenders who have criticized Trump for his secrecy were forced to explain their own actions.

The attorney general is working to destroy the integrity and independence of the Justice Department, in order to make Donald Trump a president who can operate above the law.

History suggests the value of a broader understanding of patriotism, one that goes beyond saluting-the-flag loyalty and battlefield bravery.

Like so many contentions of the president’s legal team, this is malarkey thinly draped with plausible-sounding distortions of facts, rules, court opinions, and the Constitution itself.

When treated at military hospitals, civilians can end up with tens of thousands of dollars in debt that the federal government relentlessly tries to collect.

One federal employee will determine whether the ERA gets added to America’s founding document—the question is which authority he’ll turn to for guidance.

A lobbyist turned senior Agriculture Department official repeatedly shared information with her former industry on policy and enforcement. “It’s highly inappropriate conduct,” said one ethics expert.

When a person or agency backed by the power and resources of the government tells a lie, it sometimes causes harm that only the government can inflict.

The provisions he opposes are for both public and classified matters.

Americans need leaders who can tell them how and when they will decide to pull the plug.

President Trump refuses to provide information to lawmakers in the impeachment inquiry. But courts have been reluctant to take such cases for fear of upsetting the government's balance of power.

A new report warns that USAID may not be able to effectively oversee $1.16 billion in foreign aid to Iraq — including to Christian groups Vice President Mike Pence’s office favored — after the administration cut much of its on-the-ground staff.

Thank you!