Subscriber Special - Feds $1.5 Billion in PR Spending includes $400k Green Ninjas Money8

October 8, 2016 10:35 AM
2016-08-08_12-27-132016-09-26_12-22-57
Money8
 
Last year, federal spending of $15 BILLION on 'Public 
Relations' included $500 million in salaries 
for 5,000 federal 'PR' officers.
 
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, here
Requested by Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY)
October 5, 2016
 
 
2016-10-10_13-14-50
Read our editorial at Forbes CLICK HERE
Forbes | 12/2015
 
Last year, in the Washington Times, TheHill, New York Daily News, PR Weekly, PR Daily, New York Observer, Orange County Register and Forbes, we launched our OpenTheBooks Oversight Report -  The Department of Self-Promotion, Federal Public Relations, click here to download a PDF copy.
 
We found a $400,000 'Green Ninja' video commissioned by NASA - yes, the space agency - telling you 'how to eat.'
 
Watch the FOX 13 News in Tampa, Florida with chief investigator Craig Patrick reporting:
 
 
Our OpenTheBooks.com oversight report showcased:
  • $4.34 billion spent by the feds on PR activities (FY2007-2014).
  • $1.192 million 'ad bosses' - executives of federal PR contractors billing the agencies for $525 per hour.
  • $88 per hour 'interns' -  advertising agencies billing out their 'interns' to the agencies for $184,000 per year.
  • 1,858 federal 'PR' employees with salaries over $100,000.
  • Sheer growth in the size, scale and spending of federal PR at Veterans Affairs (VA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This week, the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO), empirically quantified Federal 'Public Relations' spending. It was $1.5 billion - last year!
 
Here's just a sample of the GAO audit findings:
  • $1.5 billion spent by federal agencies on public relations and advertising last year.
  • 5,000 federal public relations officers - for perspective, this exceeds the number of employees of the Department of Education (4,100).
  • Largest percentage increases in PR staff were Veterans Affairs - which nearly doubled during the decade from 144 to 286 employees.
It's time to challenge the status quo. We have a moral obligation to STOP waste, fraud and duplication.
 
Nothing is worse than our government spending our tax dollars to try and convince taxpayers to spend more tax dollars on larger budgets, more pay and more regulations. 
 
We are proud of our role in helping to expose the waste and abuse of federal PR expenditures. 
 
We congratulate U.S. Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi for mandating the GAO audit. 
 
Now, it's time to cut federal spending. Cut the waste in public relations spending.
 
 
It's Your Money. Join The Transparency Revolution!
 
 
 
 
Adam Andrzejewski (say: Angie-f-ski)
Founder and CEO, OpenTheBooks.com 
 
Matthew Tyrmand
Deputy Director
         
PS. Our new video describes how our data and technology can help you stop government waste!  Watch it here.
 
Help fund our movement with a special Crowdfunding donation of $1, $50, $100, or more,  please click here.    
  • $1 or more receives our OpenTheBooks bumper sticker
  • $50 - $74 receives a cotton OpenTheBooks.com baseball cap
  • $75 or more receives a hardcover copy of U.S. Senator (retired) Dr. Tom Coburn's book, The Debt Bomb.
Together, we are a strong team. Please click here to help our mission.
 
2015-11-04_14-17-38
 
STAY UP TO DATE WITH OPEN THE BOOKS!

 

 

JOIN THE TRANSPARENCY REVOLUTION AT OPENTHEBOOKS.COM
Back to news
Donate_Button_Red
Sign the Petition