The supervising ethics office for the Executive Branch, OGE is an independent agency that aims to prevent conflicts of interest on the part of U.S. government employees, and works to resolve those conflicts if they occur. OGE is also involved in the development of ethics programs for the government’s anti-corruption foreign policy initiatives. Despite its numerous publications and instructional videos, OGE has proven incapable of dealing with the massive problem of the Revolving Door, through which government officials pass between industries and the agencies that are supposed to regulate them. The current director of the Office of Government Ethics, Robbert Cusick, was appointed to the position after contributing to the reelection campaign of Sen. Mitch McConnell, who wrote a letter of recommendation on his behalf to President Bush.
Established as part of the Office of Personnel Management by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, OGE became a separate agency on October 1, 1989, as a result of the passage of the Office of Government Ethics Reauthorization Act of 1988.
Striving to ensure that there is no conflict of interest in actions taken by Executive Branch employees, or any appearance of conflicts of interest, OGE works closely with every Executive Branch agency. Each agency’s head has primary responsibility for the daily administration of ethics in his or her specific office, and also selects a Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) through whom OGE communicates on policies and regulatory changes, one-on-one and by issuing DAEOgrams, memoranda providing guidance on how to interpret and comply with new or modified conflict of interest or standards of conduct regulations, or financial disclosure policies and procedures. In addition, each department and agency is assigned an OGE desk officer who is responsible for providing assistance in maintaining Standards of Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch.
Duties in the OGE are divided among various offices:
- The Office of the Director is responsible for making sure OGE fulfills its Presidential and Congressional mandates.
- The Office of International Assistance and Governance Initiatives coordinates OGE’s support of U.S. efforts on behalf of international anti-corruption programs, including, at the request of foreign policy agencies and entities of the United States government, reviewing documents, hosting delegations, and conducting digital videoconferences.
- The Office of General Counsel and Legal Policy is the OGE liaison to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. It also develops a uniform legal framework of government ethics for the executive branch, as well as program policies and regulations, and interprets laws, assists agencies in legal and policy implementations, recommends changes in conflicts of interest and ethics statutes, and responds to media requests for information.
- The Office of Agency Programs (OAP) operates the Ethics news and information email list to provide timely information to ethics officials. It also hosts an annual Government Ethics Conference to update Executive Branch ethics officials about changes in regulations, statutes, and interpretations. In addition, it manages the Executive Branch paperwork in regards to the Public Financial Disclosure Reporting System, via which senior members in all three branches are required to file public reports of their finances. The Program Services Division (PSD) of OAP collects, tracks, and reviews these reports for employees in the Executive Branch to ensure they are complete and do not raise any unaddressed questions of potential conflicts of interest. PSD also tracks each presidential appointee’s compliance with any ethics agreements the appointee made during the Senate confirmation process. OAP’s Program Review Division conducts arranged-in-advance on-site reviews of offices’ ethic programs, and OAP’s Education Division develops and provides a variety of video, instructor-led, and web-based ethics materials and training courses, workshops and seminars for Executive Branch employees.
Whenever a transition to a new administration is going to occur, OGE has additional responsibilities, including advising new and outgoing employees of their ethics obligations and reviewing incoming administration nominees for conflicts of interest.
Potential Ethics Issues
-Certain post-employment business activities
-Conflicting financial interests
-Disobeying restrictions regarding book deals
-Engaging in away from the job experiences that conflict with one’s official duties
-Accepting gifts from outside sources
-Failing to adhere to public finance disclosure regulations
-Lack of impartiality in performing official duties
-Misuse of position
-Prosecuting a claim against the United States, or acting as the agent or attorney of a private party before the Government in connection with a particular matter in which the U.S. is a party or has a direct or substantial interest
Among the publications, forms and documents that are available from the OGE office are:
Rules for the Road
(PDF)
Revolving Door
“The Revolving door” refers to the tendency of administration officials to leave office and take industry jobs, cashing in with the corporations they once regulated. On the other side, industry executives take government positions and pursue a corporate-friendly approach to the oversight of the industries with which they have worked.
Revolving Door
(OpenSecrets)
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Founded: 1978
Annual Budget: $12.1 million
Employees: 80
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Office of Government Ethics (OGE)
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Cusick, Robert "Ric"
Director
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Robert Irwin “Ric” Cusick received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Louisville in Kentucky in 1965 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law in 1968. After that, he served as a Navy JAG officer, working initially in the headquarters office of the Judge Advocate General, and then at sea as the Legal Officer of the attack aircraft carrier USS America. In 1972, Cusick returned to Louisville, remaining affiliated with the Naval Reserve, and retiring as a Captain in 1998, after serving in Washington, Annapolis, and Iceland. In 1993 he launched a legal career as a civilian with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, retiring as a partner when he was confirmed by the Senate to be Director of USOGE. In 2005 lobbyist Gordon Hunter Bates, of Bates Capital Group suggested that Cusick contribute to the reelection campaign of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). Cusick did so and McConnell recommended Cusick for the job of director of the Office of Government Ethics. In February 2006, President Bush nominated Cusick to the position. He was confirmed by the Senate on May 26, 2006.
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