Interior Dept. watchdog reviewing allegations that acting secretary violated Trump ethics pledge
"Several groups, including the Campaign Legal Center and the Campaign for Accountability, as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), have questioned Bernhardt’s role in the Interior Department’s push to conduct an environmental analysis of proposed changes to federal and state water projects in California. That effort could free up more water for the Westlands Water District, which serves farmers in California’s Central Valley."
Academic for Hire
On February 25, 2019, CfA released a new report, Academic for Hire, revealing that a lawyer for the payday lending industry, Hilary Miller, funded, designed, and edited an academic study defending the payday lending industry. Mr. Miller, the chairman of the Consumer Credit Research Foundation worked closely with Kennesaw State University Professor Jennifer Priestley to develop a study for the payday lending industry to use to lobby against government regulations that would have protected consumers from payday lenders.
CfA Releases New Report Documenting How Google Helped Spawn the EdTech Industry and Invaded America’s Schools
On January 16, 2019, CfA released a new report, Capturing the Classroom: How Google Sidestepped School Authorities to Push its Products into Schools, documenting how Google’s products invaded the American K-12 education system with the help of teacher-evangelists, the EdTech industry, and taxpayer dollars.
Watchdog org. filing complaint against anti-abortion group with state contract
"Campaign for Accountability (CFA), a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., said Real Alternatives has received $2.6 million over five years to run the Michigan Pregnancy and Parenting Support Program (MPPSP)."
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.
When Big Tech embeds staffers in political campaigns
"But are those tech reps getting too much access to politicians and future leaders? Jed Kim talks with Daniel Stevens, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability, a nonprofit watchdog group in Washington, D.C. He asked him what's in it for the tech companies. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation."
Pro-choice or Anti-abortion, We Should All Agree Women Need Real Healthcare
"Positions on abortion are deeply-entrenched and hard to change. But people of good will across the abortion divide should be able to agree on at least two things: healthcare services should be provided by those with the necessary training and experience, and state money appropriated for healthcare services should be spent on providing those services."
This Group Posed As Russian Trolls And Bought Political Ads On Google. It Was Easy.
“Google has admitted it’s trying to stop this activity when it comes to issue ads but its clear there’s a huge gap in their policing of this content,” Stevens told BuzzFeed News. “It feels like a flagrant abdication of responsibility and it’s in-line with the trend we see from Google — they're very hesitant to crack down on things that are a threat to their business model.”
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.