Transparency

Senator's first bill would strengthen key oversight offices of the federal government

June 28, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thirty years after Congress first created Inspector General (IG) offices to review the efficiency of government programs, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill introduced legislation to further strengthen the system and ensure that government remains fully accountable to its citizens.    » read more »

6/28/2007 -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) Released the Following Statement in Response to the President's Assertion of Executive Privilege in Response to the Committee's June 13 Subpoena for Documents:

"The president's response to our subpoena shows an appalling disregard for the right of the people to know what is going on in their government.

The executive privilege assertion is unprecedented in its breadth and scope, and even includes documents that the administration previously offered to provide as part of their 'take it or leave it' proposal.    » read more »

June 21, 2007 -- The Oversight Committee has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures for safeguarding classified national security information. The Vice President asserts that his office is not an “entity within the executive branch.”    » read more »

Discloses earmarks to improve government transparency

June 21, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today announced that he had requested federal funding for the following projects, in the amounts designated by his constituents and several national organizations, as part of this year's annual appropriations process:

Adler Planetarium, to support replacement of its projector and related equipment, $3,000,000    » read more »

Social order, economic growth suffer when justice fails

06 June 2007 -- Washington -- Systemic corruption of judicial systems not only denies citizens their basic human rights, but hinders economic development and sometimes pushes aggrieved populations to violence, according to a recent report.    » read more »