The Center for Public Integrity : PaperTrail Blog

TRANSPORTATION: Buffett’s New Company Sure Knows How to Lobby

2009-11-05T18:59:00+00:00

President Obama wants Washington to get more creative on infrastructure funding. Railroads are undoubtedly part of that big financial future. Warren Buffett, an Obama economic confidante, has just placed a huge bet that could accelerate that creativity to his and rail’s overall benefit.

IN MEMORIAM: John W. Mashek

2009-11-05T15:38:51+00:00

The Center for Public Integrity lost a part of its family on Tuesday with the sudden passing of veteran reporter and The Buying of the President 2008 contributor John W. Mashek. He was 77.

DEFENSE: Vast Undercount of War Contractors by Defense Tracking System

2009-10-30T17:22:21+00:00

Nearly one-quarter of defense contractor employees deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and elsewhere in Southwest Asia — some 74,000 employees — are not being counted by the Defense Department’s tracking system, according to a document to be released on Monday by the Commission on Wartime Contracting. The finding brings into question the Pentagon’s continuing difficulty in monitoring and managing its contractor workforce.

MONEY & POLITICS: Leaked Document Reveals Six “Murtha Method” Reps. Under Investigation

2009-10-30T14:31:21+00:00

Seven members of a powerful subcommittee that was the subject of a recent Center investigation are now being scrutinized by the House ethics committee, according to The Washington Post. The paper also reports that they are among more than 30 lawmakers being scrutinized for ethics violations, according to a leaked confidential document.

MONEY & POLITICS: Blue Dogs’ Fundraising Totals Plummet in Third Quarter

2009-10-27T11:00:19+00:00

It’s official. The Blue Dog’s fundraising slowdown was not just a symptom of the dog days of summer. Newly released public disclosure forms indicate that over September, the coalition’s PAC took in its smallest monthly total yet this year.

DEFENSE: Pentagon Contracting Audit Chief Removed Following Critical Senate Hearing

2009-10-26T19:36:55+00:00

The head of the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), April G. Stephenson, is being removed, according to an e-mail she wrote today to DCAA employees. And at least some observers see the move as a result of misdirected anger from Congress. Her removal comes after a contentious September hearing focused on Government Accountability Office findings of widespread deficiencies in DCAA audits conducted before Stephenson's tenure as director of the DCAA.

TRANSPORTATION: While Federal Action Stalls, a Battle Rages in Virginia

2009-10-26T13:26:33+00:00

As transportation enthusiasts wait for official Washington to hash out a brand new $500 billion transportation bill, a duel just over the Potomac may provide a glimpse of the debate to come.

DEFENSE: Warnings About Revolving Door in Pentagon from Ex-Lobbyist Official

2009-10-22T19:54:49+00:00

At the dawn of a new administration, it’s fairly routine for top-level political appointees to remind their charges of the importance of ethical behavior. But the especially blunt nature of a memo from the Defense Department’s No. 2 official is striking some Pentagon observers as a tad ironic.

HOMELAND SECURITY: WMD Commission Criticizes Homeland Security Oversight

2009-10-21T18:26:11+00:00

A progress report released today by a federal commission reiterates earlier warnings on the dangers inherent in Congress’s crazy-quilt oversight of homeland security.

HEALTH CARE: The Abstinence Lobby’s Lone Wolf

2009-10-14T15:25:30+00:00

Most rich people hoping to influence federal policy are content to write checks to fund political campaigns or shuffle cash to advocacy groups that lobby for their causes. But not Raymond Ruddy.