Earlier this month we reported that new FEMA Chief of Staff Jason McNamara has to recuse himself for two years from participating in any matters that involve his former employer, Dewberry. That might be a difficult task because Dewberry is FEMA's second-largest contractor, with more than $1 billion in contract awards since 2000.
POGO had hoped that the Senate would inquire about this issue during Craig Fugate's confirmation hearing for FEMA Administrator last week. No questions were asked on that topic, so POGO has continued to inquire about any ethics and recusal opinions that might pertain to Mr. McNamara.
On April 21st, I received a "Screening Arrangement" detailing the internal procedures that will be taken to prevent Mr. McNamara from working with his former company. To my surprise, however, I noticed that the arrangement was written by Mr. McNamara himself, rather than by an ethics officer or his acting superior. The “fox guarding the hen house” isn't a new concept in Washington D.C., but this seems to go too far.
This week, FEMA denied my request for the underlying ethics opinions that detail the actual and apparent conflicts of interest that exist between Mr. McNamara and Dewberry, and the steps that should be taken to prevent conflicts from arising. POGO will appeal that decision.
President Obama has an uphill battle on his hands if he is truly going to create a more open government, default to openness in FOIA cases, and prevent the "well-connected" (p. 21 of 142) from taking over the federal government. Based on actions taken thus far and my interaction with government officials, I would say that we have a long road to travel before the culture of the government catches up to the rhetoric.
-- Scott Amey
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