What We Do 

Learn about the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and what it does.  

What Is Government Ethics?

Ethics is often thought of as the difference between right and wrong, but people frequently disagree on what that means. To make it clear for employees of the executive branch of the federal government, there are specific rules in place to guide them towards ethical conduct. These rules come from laws passed by Congress, regulations created by OGE, and other legal principles. All help to ensure that executive branch employees act in ways that are fair, transparent, and in the best interest of everyone – not just a few – when doing their work on behalf of the American people. The 14 General Principles (PDF) summarize how executive branch employees should conduct themselves and what OGE means by “government ethics.”

Our Mission

OGE leads and oversees the executive branch ethics program, which works to prevent financial conflicts of interest and other violations of the ethics rules in the more than 140 various executive offices and agencies, as well as independent agencies and regulatory commissions (collectively referred to as “agencies”) of the executive branch of the federal government.

Ethics Is A Shared Responsibility

OGE does not do its work alone. The success of the executive branch ethics program is a shared responsibility that includes OGE, agency heads, ethics officials, employees, supervisors, human resources officials, Inspectors General, prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice, and many others, including you. To learn more about ethics roles and responsibilities, keep reading the contents of this page. See also the information available on OGE’s “Mission, Authority, & Key Players” page and its regulation at 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 2638 .

What We Actually Do

In support of its mission, OGE leads and oversees the executive branch ethics program by:

• Assisting the President in carrying out the office’s Constitutional duty to nominate and appoint senior officials;
• Making and interpreting ethics laws and regulations;
• Providing guidance, support, and training to ethics officials at agencies;
• Administering the executive branch financial disclosure systems;
• Monitoring senior leaders’ compliance with their ethics commitments;
• Holding agencies accountable for complying with ethics program requirements; and
• Making ethics information available to the public.

What We Don’t Do (But Others Do)

OGE works to prevent unethical conduct by employees of the executive branch of the federal government.

It does not handle complaints of misconduct, nor can it investigate or prosecute them.

OGE also does not oversee the ethics programs of, nor the conduct of those working in, other branches of the federal government, such as the legislative branch and its members of Congress.

However, several agencies and entities are responsible for these tasks. Their contact information can be found on our “Resources for Reporting Misconduct” page.

Why This Work Matters

Preventing financial conflicts of interest and other violations of the ethics rules in the executive branch of the federal government is important. The work of agencies can be disrupted, delayed, and undermined by unethical conduct, eroding the American people’s trust in their government. Violations can also lead to serious consequences for individual employees, such as losing their job, serving jail time, and having to pay large fines.

What You Can Do

Government ethics is a shared responsibility, and that includes you. You may have only recently learned of OGE and the executive branch ethics program, but your participation and trust are vital to their work.

To participate, you can actively request and review the ethics information available to you from OGE and agencies’ ethics programs, such as financial disclosure reports, associated ethics documents, and oversight reports. You can also take advantage of opportunities to share your views on ethics regulations, forms, and other strategic documents as they are being developed, such as commenting in writing or by attending a public meeting. For these and other ways to get involved, explore the "Resources for the Public" tab at the top of OGE’s homepage.