Known by its abbreviation, CAGW stands for Citizens Against Government Waste. Founded in 1984, it has been fighting the wastage of public funds in government spending ever since. It is a private, non-partisan organization based in the U.S. — more background is available on Wikipedia.
CAGW has managed to remain in the media’s eye as the face of citizens united against blatant spending of funds — whether that means money not used for its stated purpose, or money used to buy overpriced goods and services.
No citizen will be happy to pay tax from their hard-earned cash and watch it being blown away in a wasteful manner.
Citizens Against Government Waste
- Founded
- 1984, by industrialist J. Peter Grace and columnist Jack Anderson
- Headquarters
- Washington, D.C.
- Type
- Private, non-partisan, non-profit watchdog
- Known for
- The annual Congressional Pig Book exposé of pork-barrel spending
- Official site
- cagw.org
See also our companion case on citizen movements.
Whistleblowers — the driving force of CAGW
As CAGW will readily admit on its own website, whistleblowers from all walks of life have supplied the one thing most necessary to fight waste: information. Most of it arrives as anonymous tips, from people of every shape and size — Capitol Hill employees, private but concerned citizens, and workers inside federal agencies. All of that information has been put to great use in the organization’s programs.
The power of media
CAGW churns out publications designed to fight excessive government spending. The best known is its annual Congressional Pig Book Summary — its most comprehensive publication yet — alongside the Congressional Ratings and a stream of newsletters.
The media has long regarded CAGW as an authority on government wastage, and its officials are regularly featured on television and radio. That visibility is a recognition of the big role the organization plays.
Achievements CAGW has made along the way
From a small membership of fewer than 5,000, CAGW has grown to boast over a million members — a full transformation into an organization the government has to hear. It has kept the government on its toes by exposing how the Centers for Disease Control wasted money in its HIV/AIDS prevention program, and how the Federal Aviation Administration handed a $1.5 million grant to a single company in order to escape a threatened lawsuit. Along the way it attracted political backers as prominent as long-serving Arizona Senator John McCain.
Donations
Most of the work CAGW carries out is funded by well-wishers across the country, supplemented by fundraising events. By the organization’s own account, every dollar donated has translated into more than $9,000 in implemented wastage cuts — which, as they put it, makes a donation the best investment one can make in their beloved country.
Some companies also offer a matching contribution to CAGW — meaning that for every dollar contributed by an employee, they match it with a dollar of their own.