Ethics.gov Still Needs Work, Experts Say
Ethics.gov could still use some improvements, experts say. The White House’s new transparency-promoting database appears to have some glitches, our research found. For example, if one were to search ethics.gov for AT&T and then limit the results to lobbying information, no information shows up. But AT&T lobbying data will show up when searched directly in the lobbying section. Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, experienced similar glitches on the site, he said. These issues probably occur because the site was just recently launched, he said.
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White House visitor reports only go up to the end of 2011 and Federal Election Commission contribution data go until November 2011 on the site. Also, ethics.gov gives lobbying data but does not include copies of lobbying reports, as the Senate (http://xrl.us/bmzw4r) and House (http://xrl.us/bmzw45) lobbying data search engines do. The site lists summaries of data rather than full reports for simplicity reasons, Holman said: “It is reasonable to simplify the data, but it would be useful if the Web page provided a link to the full lobbying reports.” The site also fails to include lobbying data from federal agencies like the FCC.
Overall, the website seems to be functioning under expectations the White House had laid out in a “fact sheet” (http://xrl.us/bmzw7o). A search of well-known government officials, such as FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, brings back results of White House visitor information and FEC contribution data. The site also offers the ability to browse, rather than just search, for specific parties. Despite some wrinkles in the early stages of the site, ethics.gov is a huge technological feat and a great step towards federal transparency, Holman said. The White House could not be reached for comment.
The site’s goal was to centralize seven databases that were available before but never on one site, according to the White House fact sheet. Ethics.gov was released last month and includes White House visitor records, Office of Government Ethics travel reports, Lobbying Disclosure Act data, Department of Justice Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) data, and FEC individual contribution, candidate and committee reports.
The site should include data about government contractors, because that is where much corruption occurs, Holman said. He would also like to see ethics.gov combined with data.gov, the government’s repository for federal data sets, but he isn’t sure there is technology available to do that yet, he said.
Other data sets could still be added to the site, said Sunlight Foundation Policy Director John Wonderlich. He would like to see Federal Advisory Committee Act disclosures, ethics waivers released by the White House and relevant lobbying disclosures from within the executive branch, he said. The site could also include data from USAspending.gov, which tracks government spending, Wonderlich said.
Ethics.gov is a first step towards a bigger solution, said Anne Weismann, chief counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. There is a benefit to having all the information centralized, but Weismann hopes to see more information added to the site. Also, there should have been more consultation prior to the site’s launch, she said. The White House should have reached out more and asked interest groups and the public what they wanted to see on the site before putting it together, she said. The site shouldn’t be viewed as a stagnant project, and the White House should continue adding to it, she said.
This step towards transparency could soon be erased if Obama is not re-elected, Holman said. Other presidents have worked to limit transparency, and the Obama administration is unique in promoting it, he said: “We've never seen this kind of commitment before in any other presidential administration, and I doubt we will see it again.” Holman said he expects the Obama administration to continue improving the site and to make it a permanent part of the White House infrastructure, but expects any other administration will rapidly take the site down.