WASHINGTON D.C. – The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) announced today that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the Ranking Member of the House Committee and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) will be the recipient of its Good Government Award on Friday, June 25, 2010, in part due to the “rigorous oversight he conducted of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and identifying those technical and cultural weaknesses at the agency that contributed to the Gulf Coast spill.”  Issa is also being recognized for being “a strong advocate for taxpayers since the earliest days of the government bailout of the financial sector.  For instance, Issa forced the New York Fed to release key documents on the bailout of AIG, and introduced legislation to improve the government’s collection of business data.”

“Watchdog groups like POGO understand the importance of vigilant oversight,” says Rep. Issa. “Ultimately, our vigilance is a fight between those who would aggressively pursue oversight so that the American people can have the government they deserve and those who seek to preserve the status quo at all costs. By partnering with watchdog groups like POGO – that is a fight we can win.”

“Both of these Members have been tenacious in their oversight. When they have found misconduct, they have been tireless in their pursuit of accountability, even if it was their party in the White House,” says POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian. “These two Members show that you do not need to be the Chair of a Committee to do meaningful investigations.”

POGO’s Good Government Award is an occasional award for outstanding service in the pursuit of holding the government accountable to its citizenry.   The Awards are being presented as part of the conclusion of the third session of POGO’s Congressional Oversight Training Series (COTS), which offers lunch-time seminars for congressional staffers to learn about the true powers of Congress from some of the most accomplished current and former congressional oversight experts and practitioners. More than 500 congressional staff have attended at least one COTS seminar since POGO began the series in 2006.

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