Transparency is crucial to facing the coronavirus

March 14, 2020

Today, we're excited to launch a refresh of our weekly round-up, now known as the Weekly Spotlight. To new readers, welcome! And to our long-time Weekly Reader subscribers, we'll be delivering the same content you've come to expect every Saturday—and more commentary on today's latest news and developments.     The ongoing coronavirus outbreak shows that the government needs to communicate accurately, operate transparently, and have sufficient resources and well-developed plans in place. Without these elements, the government cannot respond early and effectively, and the public can’t act accordingly. They are critical to containing outbreaks before they become widespread or slowing down their spread to prevent a pandemic disease from overwhelming our healthcare system.   What’s happening today is not completely unprecedented. In the wake of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the Government Accountability Office found that consistent and accurate communication from the federal government is important to avoid confusion among healthcare professionals and the general public alike. But last week, President Donald Trump said, “Anybody that wants a test can get a test” for coronavirus. As Senator James Lankford (R-OK) told a reporter, “That is not accurate right now." Health and infectious disease experts should have open permission to respond to inquiries from public officials, press, and medical professionals seeking information. This is not the time for political filters or manipulations, but for facts.   Looking farther down the road, a vaccine for coronavirus will eventually be developed, but as POGO has previously written, the government needs to be transparent about its vaccine procurement, including planned vaccine quantities and the timetable for production and distribution.   During a pandemic, trustworthy information is a crucial part of the cure. ANALYSIS The Government We Need During the Coronavirus Pandemic The coronavirus outbreak makes it clear that the government needs to communicate clearly, operate transparently, and have the necessary resources and well-developed plans in place. Conflicting messages from the government make it harder for the public to know how serious the risks of the coronavirus are and what to do. Read More TESTIMONY In Support of Limits on Funding for Face Recognition Surveillance Congress should continue to examine the implications of facial recognition technology, and enact restrictions to prevent harms and protect constitutional rights. While Congress works to develop proper rules and limits, it should not allow federal funds to be used indiscriminately to build law enforcement face recognition systems. Read More INVESTIGATION F-35 Design Flaws Mounting, New Document Shows A new document obtained by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) shows that the F-35 program office has made little progress in fixing the fighter jet’s hundreds of design flaws, and continues to discover more of them. The Joint Strike Fighter Program Office’s Deficiency Report Metrics document, dated February 28, 2020, shows the program is currently dealing with 883 unresolved design flaws—and has no plan for correcting over 160 of them. Read More LETTER Coalition Applauds Congressional Leaders for Powerful Hearing on Protecting Judicial Employees POGO along with six other organizations wrote to thank Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Hank Johnson for holding a hearing to discuss the pressing issue of protecting judicial branch employees from sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct. The hearing was powerful and illuminating, and we hope that it will serve as the predicate for subsequent action. Read More QUOTE OF THE WEEK “[Delegation to acting officals is] unconstitutional, because the Constitution requires that the Senate play a role in consenting or not consenting to the president's nominees. Major federal dollars being spent by these people. And we don't even know who they are.” Rebecca Jones, Policy Counsel, on NPR ONE LINERS “[The F-35] program is currently dealing with 883 unresolved design flaws — and has no plan for correcting over 160 of them.” Dan Grazier, Jack Shanahan Military Fellow, in Politico Morning Defense   “It’s clear [Attorney General Bill Barr] doesn’t want an independent watchdog at the FISA Court, he wants the ability to put his thumb on the scale.” Jake Laperruque, TCP Senior Counsel, in The Daily Beast   “I think it’s a fair question...Whether or not this administration is going to move that needle on what's considered normal and what's considered expected.” Sean Moulton, Senior Policy Analyst, in Government Executive   [POGO's Nick] Schwellenbach said it was critical that government accounts “be viewed as politically neutral and straight-shooting” because they come “from the institution" as opposed to an individual aide or cabinet member. Nick Schwellenbach, Senior Investigator, in MassLive

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

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