Press Releases

Watchdog Calls on Michigan to Terminate Contract with Anti-Abortion Nonprofit, Real Alternatives

On January 14, 2019, CfA called on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, as well as Attorney General Dana Nessel and Auditor General Doug Ringler, to investigate and terminate the state’s contract with Real Alternatives, an anti-abortion nonprofit organization that receives state funding to run the Michigan Parenting and Pregnancy Support Program. CfA’s investigation found that, despite receiving $2.6 million in Michigan taxpayer funds over the course of nearly five years, Real Alternatives appears to have both misused taxpayer dollars and failed to provide adequate health services.

Watchdog Files Complaint Against HHS Refugee Agency for Proselytizing, Impeding Access to Abortion

On December 17, 2018, CfA asked the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the Office of Refugee Resettlement (“ORR”) and its former director, Scott Lloyd, for improperly obstructing a teenager’s access to reproductive healthcare and for providing her with religious counseling and materials – including Bible verses – while in ORR’s custody.

CfA Releases New Report, Browser Extension Demonstrating that Google is Virtually Inescapable

On December 10, 2018, CfA released a new report, Quitting Google, showing it is virtually impossible to avoid Google’s omnipresent tracking despite the company’s claims that “competition is just a click away.” In conjunction with the report, CfA released a new browser extension that alerts users when Google products are tracking them online.

Watchdog Calls on Sen. Grassley to Investigate Botched IG Appointment at Interior

On October 25, 2018, CfA asked Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Suzanne Israel Tufts, the Assistant Secretary for Administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to replace Department of Interior Acting Inspector General Mary Kendall amid ongoing investigations into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s unethical behavior.

Government Watchdog Calls for Investigation into HHS Refugee Director Scott Lloyd

On October 18, 2018, CfA called on officials at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to investigate whether Scott Lloyd, Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, used his government position to help secure a government contract for his former employer, the Catholic fraternal service organization, the Knights of Columbus.

New Report Details How BlackRock Built its Mexican Infrastructure Business Through Cronyism, Corruption and Conflicts of Interest

On September 26, 2018, CfA released a new report, "The New Corporate Colonialism," which comprehensively documents BlackRock’s efforts to expand its infrastructure business in Mexico through aggressive courtship of Mexican political leaders and organizations mired in corruption and conflict of interest scandals.

Posing as Russian Troll Farm, Watchdog Buys Politically Divisive Ads on Google

On September 4, 2018, CfA released a report documenting how CfA bought politically divisive ads on Google using Russian rubles and a Russian IP address. CfA posed as the infamous Russian troll farm, the Internet Research Agency (IRA), and bought ads using similar language and the same images that the IRA deployed during its 2016 influence campaign. The ads ran on major U.S. media websites and their YouTube channels.

Watchdog Calls on HHS to Release Sec. Azar’s Communications with Former Employer Eli Lilly

On August 30, 2018, CfA filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeking communications between Sec. Alex Azar, and any representative or lobbyist for Eli Lilly and Company. Sec. Azar worked at Eli Lilly for a decade, and he has supported a proposed rule change at HHS that would greatly benefit the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Watchdog Calls for Investigation into HHS Secretary Azar’s Relationship with Former Employer Eli Lilly Following Proposed Rule Change

On August 28, 2018, CfA called on ethics officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to open an investigation into HHS Secretary Alex Azar and his relationship with his former employer, the pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company. HHS recently proposed a new rule that would greatly benefit Eli Lilly, and Sec. Azar has championed the issue while at the helm of HHS.

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