OGE Oversight
Every agency in the executive branch is required to have a compliant and effective ethics program. OGE is responsible for overseeing those programs to ensure that agencies and their personnel are complying with applicable laws, regulations, and policies. OGE conducts reviews and data collections to assess compliance, and takes action to ensure that programs and individuals who are out of compliance come into compliance.
OGE's Role
At the programmatic level, OGE regularly conducts ethics program reviews to ensure consistent and sustainable compliance with program requirements and foster meaningful program improvement. OGE also routinely conducts single issue reviews at individual agencies or groups of similarly situated agencies regarding matters or particular import or concern. OGE uses the agency responses to the annual agency ethics program questionnaire to assist in determining which agencies or issues might benefit from a review as well as to report on the executive branch ethics program to the public, Congress, and the ethics community. OGE also collaborates with agencies in issuing agency-specific supplemental ethics requirements and designing alternative financial disclosure procedures tailored to the needs and operations of the agency.
At the level of the individual, OGE provides oversight by conducting a second-level review of the financial interests of the government’s highest-level leaders to ensure decisions are being made without conflicts of interest. OGE also requires these individuals certify that they have complied with their individual ethics commitments. On occasion, agencies may find it appropriate to waive certain ethics requirements and must consult with OGE on such occasion. OGE also collects reports from agencies each time an agency refers a potential violation of a criminal ethics matter by a government official to the Department of Justice.
Key Legal Authorities
Key Advisories
See the Ethics Documents Which Require Submission to OGE resource, which cites key advisories
Search the Legal Research Collection
Resources
2025 Calendar of Important Ethics Dates (PDF | Calendar Archive)
This calendar identifies key deadlines related to public and confidential financial disclosure, OGE data calls, ethics training requirements, 31 U.S.C. § 1353 travel reports, as well as other key dates found in the regulations governing executive branch ethics programs at 5 C.F.R. part 2638.
Program Review (PDF)
This document helps agency ethics officials know what to expect from and how to prepare for an ethics program review.
2024 Calendar of Important Ethics Dates (PDF | Calendar Archive)
This calendar identifies key deadlines related to public and confidential financial disclosure, OGE data calls, ethics training requirements, 31 U.S.C. § 1353 travel reports, as well as other key dates found in the regulations governing executive branch ethics programs at 5 C.F.R. part 2638.
Ethics Documents Which Require Submission to OGE
This table includes links to templates or instruction for submission, related guidance, and the statutory and regulatory authority.
Agency Ethics Documents Search Collection
This collection allows users to do a filtered search for documents specific to a given agency, including Program Review reports, agency travel reports, agency responses to the Annual Agency Ethics Program Questionnaire and other data calls, and OGE oversight correspondence with DAEOs, agency heads, and IGs.
Oversight Summary Reports
OGE makes a variety of reports and data available to increase transparency and so that agencies can benchmark their programs against other agencies. The documents available include OGE single issue reviews, benchmarking reports, and summaries of the annual agency ethics program results
Compliance Dashboards
This page provides a dashboard view of agency compliance with program review recommendations.
Officials’ Individual Disclosures
Users can use this page to do filtered searches for financial disclosure reports which OGE certifies, as well as other documents on which OGE collaborates with agencies, such as ethics agreements and waivers.