October 12, 2022
From: Shelley Finlayson, Chief of Staff and Program Counsel
It is easy to think of “government ethics” as a topic of concern only to government insiders and the press that covers them. The executive branch ethics program, from the outside, can seem like a maze of obscure rules and procedures filled with opaque and confusing language. But, underneath the jargon and legalese, the purpose of the program is plain. It works to ensure that the United States government works for the people of the United States.
Ethics is a mission that is important to everyone in our country. Whether you are a taxpayer, a Social Security recipient, a grantee, or a policy advocate, good and efficient government is important to you. That’s why it is important to OGE that the public understands how the ethics program works to protect our government.
OGE has committed, over the next five years, to reach more of the public to share information about ethics in government. We use and will continue to use social media to help the public understand and access our work. We are also working to help the press and non-profit organizations understand the executive branch ethics program and the ethics documents we make available. We’re creating new and better public communications. We want to make sure you don’t need to be a lawyer to help hold your government accountable.
We are also simplifying processes and making our website easier to use. We’re improving the system for accessing public financial disclosure reports from OGE and making it easier to find out how to request these reports from executive branch agencies.
We are also helping the public contribute to improving ethics policy. We’re sharing opportunities to comment on proposed ethics rules using social media. We’re holding more public listening sessions. And, we’re working hard to make sure that more people in more places are aware of when and where those sessions will be held.
It is your government and your ethics program. We want to make sure that all Americans can access ethics information about their government. OGE is committed to this objective.