2018-2019 Media Coverage Report OPENTHEBOOKS.COM | AMERICAN TRANSPARENCY Operation Drain the Swamp Broadside Now available oN Description: The admiNistrative state's costly iNterveNtioNs PresideNt DoNald J. Trump said he waNts to “drain the swamp.” But is it a swamp or aN oceaN? It’s about time iNto the daily lives of AmericaN citizeNs far the AmericaN people had some hard facts regarding the outweigh its purported beNefits. federal bureaucracy. IN OperatioN DraiN The Swamp, we expose all of it. We Information: showcase who receives how much, where they work, and We authored a 6,000-word broadside oN our Mapping the what they do. Most importaNtly, we reveal how much Swamp oversight report, calliNg for civil service reform these bureaucrats cost the AmericaN taxpayer. iN 2018. Editors at the New CriterioN Press (Roger DuriNg the 2016 presideNtial electioN, the supporters of Kimball – Editor & Publisher) edited the broadside iN DoNald Trump oN the right – aNd eveN those supporting March 2018. The broadside published iN April and is BerNie SaNders oN the left – felt that the “system was available for purchase oN AmazoN. The book has a five- rigged” for iNsiders. Now, we highlight the facts and star AmazoN ratiNg, aNd was raNked #45 most popular iN stories to prove it. IN OperatioN DraiN The Swamp, we the Public Affairs aNd AdmiNistratioN category. offer a step-by-step guide to civil service reforms. Media: ANdrzejewski discussed the broadside iN 26 radio iNterviews over a two-week period iNcludiNg MaiN Street Radio Network with JaNe Silk & KathleeN ANtrim iN AlexaNdria,VA; WCGO with BlaNquita Cullum iN Chicago, IL; WDGJ with Melody BurNs iN AlbaNy, NY; WATR Talk of the TowN iN Waterbury, CT; GeNesis CommuNicatioNs Network aNd SyNdicates with Josh Tolley iN St. Louis, MO; WPXI-TV (NBC & The Pittsburg Cable News ChaNNel) Night Talk with Ellis CaNNoN iN Pittsburg, PA; The Dove Network with Perry AtkiNsoN iN Medford, OR; WHO with Jeff ANgelo iN Des MoiNes, IA; KVOR/KCOL with Jimmy Lakey iN Ft. ColliNs, CO; The Jim BohaNeN NatioNal Radio Show; WAEB with Bobby GuNther Walsh iN AlleNtoN, PA; FiNaNcial Survival Network (WGCH) with Kerry Lutz iN GreeNwich, CT; WSVA with Mike SchikmaN iN HarrisoNburg, VA; KBAR with Zeb Bell iN Rupert, ID; HartmaN Media CompaNy (podcast) with JasoN HartmaN iN IrviNe, CA; KUIK with JayNe Carroll iN Hillsboro, OR; Radio America Network (KTKK) with Chad BeNsoN iN Salt Lake City, UT; Bloomberg Radio (CRN) with Bill MartiNez iN Florida; KFAR with AlexaNder KoreliN iN FairbaNks, AK; WJIM with Steve Gruber iN LaNsiNg, MI; KMLB/KJLO/ KILP/ KRVV with LaNNy James iN MoNroe, LA; Family Research CouNcil’s WashiNgtoN Watch with ToNy PerkiNs iN WashiNgtoN, D.C; WCRN with Gary GoldmaN iN BostoN, MA; Sirius XM Patriot with David Webb iN New York, NY; The Power Hour with DaNiel BrigmaN iN Versailles, MO; USA Radio Network with WayNe AllyN Root iN Las Vegas, NV; KUHL / KZFB with ANdy Caldwell iN SaNta Barbara, CA; WFDF with NolaN FiNley iN Detroit, MI; aNd the Lars LarsoN Show iN PortlaNd, OR. OpenTheBooks Total Revenue by Fiscal Year $2,5000,0000 $2,448,000 $2,038,000 $2,,00000,0000 $1,600,000 $1,,550000,,000000 $1,100,000 $1,,000000,,00000 $735,000 $$550000,,000000 $310,000 $0$0 220113 201144 22015 20116 20117 20118 MORE DONATIONS = MORE INVESTIGATIONS PAGE 2 KEY METRICS (2016-2019*) Total Media Mentions (Source: Meltwater Inc.) 22001166 1,034 2200177 837 22001188 1,917 2200199 1,817 3,634* 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 Website Sessions 220166 248,900 2200117 464,500 2200118 724,467 2019 2019 580,456 1,160,912* 0 250,000 500,000 750,000 1,000,000 1,250,000 Facebook Followers 22016016 16,000 22017017 125,003 22018018 205,483 22019019 318,000 384,000* 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 Forbes Editorials Pageviews (OpenTheBooks) 22016016 501,772 22017017 947,911 22018018 1,137,604 22019019 1,390,885 2,781,770* 0 1,000,000 2,000,000 3,000,000 Email Subscribers 22016016 62,000 22017017 100,208 22018018 161,000 22019019 227,000 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 *Projected numbers based on first half of 2019 PAGE 3 OVERSIGHT REPORTS 2018-2019 Where's the Pork? - May 2018 HarvestiNg U.S. Farm CoNgressioNal TraNspareNcy Subsidies - August 2018 Scorecard - October 2018 IN the private rooms oN Capitol DuriNg the Great DepressioN, farm We developed a traNspareNcy Hill, coNgressioNal leaders from subsidies were created to keep the scorecard, assigNiNg a grade for both parties assure their colleagues small family farm afloat aNd eNsure each member of the U.S. House of there's Nowhere left to cut. Our a stable NatioNal food supply. RepreseNtatives based oN votiNg report proves them wroNg, Today, however, these subsidies records aNd legislatioN spoNsorship. detailiNg 50 examples of wasteful have growN lucrative. The federal UNfortuNately, 205 represeNtatives federal graNts costiNg taxpayers goverNmeNt gave $13.2 billioN to received a "D" or aN "F." teNs of millioNs of dollars. Nearly 958,000 recipieNts. The Federal GoverNmeNt's The U.S. DepartmeNt Federal FuNdiNg of FortuNe Top 82 U.S. NoN-Profit Use-It-or-Lose-It SpeNdiNg of EducatioN - April 2019 100 CompaNies- May 2019 Hospitals - JuNe 2019 Spree - March 2019 Higher educatioN iN America We quaNtified all federal IN households across America, IN the fiNal moNth of the has become a partisaN issue. moNies giveN to FortuNe 100 healthcare costs are crushiNg fiscal year, federal ageNcies Our report highlight areas of compaNies betweeN FY2014- the AmericaN dream. We scramble to speNd what's left poteNtial reform iN the 2017 aNd discovered they studied the largest charitable iN their aNNual budget. For DepartmeNt of EducatioN as received $399 billioN iN healthcare providers fouNd 2018, we fouNd federal we show outdated policies, federal fuNdiNg. While most these public charities act more ageNcies speNt $97 billioN. misaligNed priorities, aNd came from coNtracts $3.2 like for-profit corporatioNs, ENdiNg this wasteful practice weak accouNtiNg coNtrols. billioN flowed to them from ofteN giviNg their executives would go a loNg way to save Resources are beiNg federal graNts - public large paychecks aNd addiNg taxpayer dollars. squaNdered. giveaways aNd subsidies. billioNs to their bottom liNe. PAGE 4 TOP MEDIA HITS 2018-2019 July 2019 - The WashiNgtoN Times IN aN exclusive profile, OpeNTheBooks.com was featured for Government Watchdog Group Outraged our efforts to combat reckless federal speNdiNg, to hold Growing Deficit Draws No Attention goverNmeNt officials accouNtable, aNd to address the NatioNal debt. Both parties are eNgaged iN a war oN math — math will eveNtually wiN. Though this problem persists aNd eNdaNgers the future of America, maNy are merely shruggiNg off the problem. This article spotlights OpeNTheBooks.com aNd other watchdog groups who primarily work oN solviNg these issues. It is aN uphill battle, but oNe that we agree is worth fightiNg to preserve our future. July 2019 - Tucker CarlsoN ToNight July 2019 - SiNclair Media Broadcast Group Tucker CarlsoN, as well as SiNclair Media, showcased our oversight report Top 82 U.S. NoN-Profit Hospitals: QuaNtifyiNg GoverNmeNt PaymeNts aNd FiNaNcial Assets. We looked at the highest paid executives iN these hospitals aNd fouNd that six made over $10 millioN iN 2017, with the highest receiviNg $21.6 millioN. Not oNly do they provide their executives with for-profit-level salaries, but they also iNcreased their Net assets by close to 24-perceNt. Despite the growiNg cost of healthcare, NoN-profit executives are gettiNg richer, while everyday AmericaNs are becomiNg healthcare poor. JuNe 2019 - Forbes DuriNg the presideNt’s first three- years, Trump speNt $19.8 millioN less oN White House payroll costs thaN Obama, adjusted for iNflatioN. From lookiNg at PresideNt Trump's payroll for the White House, we showed that he was beeN able to save $20 millioN of taxpayer dollars aNd projected four-year saviNgs could easily top $22 millioN. PAGE 5 T O P M E D I A H I T S C O N T I N U E D May 2019 Our co-iNvestigatioN with The New York Times received widespread media atteNtioN, as well as our iNteractive map oN rat sightiNgs. 311 call data showed rat sightiNgs soared by Nearly 38 perceNt, to 17,353 last year from 12,617 iN 2014. The New York Times also used our data to iNvestigate Noise pollutioN iN the city. 311 call data showed Noise complaiNts iNcreased by 29 perceNt from 2014-2018. May 2019 - May 2019 - CSPAN Real Clear Politics WashiNgtoN JourNal Co-authored editorial with Adam ANdrzejewski lauNched Iowa SeNator JoNi ErNst our report oN The Federal aNNouNced New legislatioN to FuNdiNg to the FortuNe 100, stop the goverNmeNt's aNNual specifically $393 billioN speNt "use-it-or-lose-it" shoppiNg oN coNtracts, $3.2 billioN oN spree. The "ENd-of-Year graNts, aNd the $2 billioN iN Fiscal RespoNsibility Act" lobbyiNg expeNditures. would limit federal speNdiNg iN the last two moNths of the fiscal year. April 2019 - Forbes We mapped all reports of humaN waste reported to the SaN FraNcisco DepartmeNt of Public Works. This Bay Area browN out treNded NatioNally oN Twitter aNd was seeN oN Tucker CarlsoN ToNight aNd SaN FraNcisco broadcast News. March 2019 - CSPAN WashiNgtoN JourNal April 2019 - Tucker CarlsoN ToNight Adam breaks our orgaNizatioN's oversight report The Federal StudeNts aNd taxpayers Need a better deal. Today, the GoverNmeNt's Use-It-Or-Lose- departmeNt must address the risiNg cost of tuitioN iN higher It SpeNdiNg Spree. We fouNd educatioN aNd the $1.7 trillioN iN studeNt loaN debt.