LATEST ON THE INVESTIGATION, COMING UP NEXT ON THE CBS EVENING NEWS. NEW TONIGHT---THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKS TO STAY CONNECTED TO PEOPLE... AND THAT TAKES MONEY -- OUR MONEY AS TAXPAYERS. ACCORDING TO A CONGRESSIONAL WATCHDOG AGENCY, THE GOVERNMENT SPENDS ABOUT ONE BILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR ON ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS... LUKE MORETTI HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO THIS, LUKE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT HEALTH CONCERNS TO MAKING SURE YOU KNOW ABOUT TAX CREDITS... BUT SOME THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TRANSPARENCY WHEN IT COMES TO DOLLARS SPENT ON GOVERNMENT MESSAGING. WHETHER IT'S A RECRUITING AD FOR THE MILITARY... OR "GREEN NINJA" VIDEOS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE... THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WANTS TO STAY CONNECTED TO THE PEOPLE IT SERVES. (( HEATHER KRAUSE/U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE: IT'S A REAL WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES THE GOVERNMENT ENGAGES WITH TO KEEP THE PUBLIC INFORMED. )) BUT IS IT WORTH OVER A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN TAXPAYER MONEY? (( REP. CHRIS COLLINS/(R) CLARENCE: I'VE HEARD $1.5 BILLION. I'VE HEARD $2 BILLION, WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION: WHY DON'T WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. )) A REPORT BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILTY OFFICE FOUND THAT FEDERAL AGENCIES SPEND ABOUT $1.5 BILLION ANNUALLY ON PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES. (( HEATHER KRAUSE:/U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE: THE FULL SCOPE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES ISN'T NECESSARILY KNOWN. THERE ISN'T A COMMONLY ACCEPTED DEFINITION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND WHAT THAT NECESSARILY KNOWN. THERE ISN'T A COMMONLY ACCEPTED DEFINITION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND WHAT THAT CONSTITUTES. )) GAO, THE CONGRESSIONAL WATCHDOG, FOUND THAT FEDERAL AGENCIES SPEND ABOUT $1 BILLION A YEAR ON PR AND ADVERTISING CONTRACTS... WHAT'S MORE, SALARIES FOR ROUGHLY 5,000 FEDERAL PUBLIC RELATIONS EMPLOYEES DROVE COSTS CLOSE TO $500 MILLION. REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN HIGGINS SAYS THE GAO FINDINGS ARE "VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY DISTURBING." (( REP. BRIAN HIGGINS/(D) BUFFALO: UNACCEPTABLE AND INEXCUSABLE. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS PAYING SO MUCH FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS. OBVIOUSLY, THEY'RE NOT DOING A VERY GOOD JOB BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A HIGH OPINION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. )) (( ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI/CEO, OPENTHEBOOKS.COM: THE VAST SIZE AND SCOPE OF THE PUBLIC RELATIONS MACHINE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IS FAIRLY STUNNING. )) ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI IS THE CEO OF OPENTHEBOOKS.COM, WHICH EXAMINED THE ISSUE EVEN BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE. (( ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI/CEO, OPENTHEBOOKS.COM: OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM IN THE WORLD. )) HE SAYS THE QUESTION MOST CENTRAL TO PUBLIC RELATIONS SPENDING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL -- IS THIS. (( ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI/CEO, OPENTHEBOOKS.COM: ARE THESE EXPENDITURES PROPAGANDA AND SPIN OR DO THEY HAVE A GAINFUL PUBLC PURPOSE. )) THE GAO REPORT FOUND THAT AGENCIES MAY HAVE LEGITIMATE REASONS FOR ENGAGING AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC. (( HEATHER KRAUSE/U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE: FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MAY HAVE THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL COMMUNICATING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ZIKA VIRUS. YOU ALSO MAY HAVE THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ADVERTISING RELATED TO MEETING THEIR MILITARY RECRUITMENT GOALS. )) (( REP. CHRIS COLLINS/(R) CLARENCE: THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. MAKES PERFECT SENSE. BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME SUBTLETIES OF MONIES, TAXPAYER MONIES BEING USED TO PROMOTE AN AGENDA THAT ISN'T AS OBVIOUS AS GETTING YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO SIGN UP FOR THE MILITARY. )) WHETHER YOU THINK SOME OF THE SPENDING IS WARRANTED OR WASTEFUL... CONNECTING WITH THE PUBLIC IS COSTING TAXPAYERS A BUNDLE. OPENTHEBOOKS.COM FOUND ADVERTISING FIRMS BILLING THEIR INTERNS TO FEDERAL AGENCIES AT $88 AN HOUR... GRAPHIC DESIGNERS BILLING AT $275 AN HOUR...AND ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES BILLING THEMSELVES OUT FOR$575 AN HOUR. (( ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI/CEO, OPENTHEBOOKS.COM: THE UNITED STATES HAS $19 TRILLION WORTH OF LONG-TERM DEBT AND THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT IN EVERY AGENCY IS WHERE TO CUT SPENDING. AND I THINK YOU START CUTTING SPENDING BY CUTTING THE PROPAGANDA. CUTTING THE SPIN AND CUTTING THE EXPENDITURE ON PUBLIC RELATIONS. )) (( KEVIN HARDWICK/CANISIUS COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENTIST: THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT IT'S EXCESSIVE. )) CANISIUS COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR KEVIN HARDWICK THINKS THE GROWTH OF THE MEDIA -- WITH 24 HOUR NEWS CYCLES ON TELEVISION AND THE INTERNET -- COULD BE FUELING THE NEED FOR MORE PUBLIC RELATIONS SPENDING. (( KEVIN HARDWICK/CANISIUS COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENTIST: AGENCIES WANT TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK GOOD NOT ONLY TO THE PUBLIC BUT ESPECIALLY TO PEOPLE WHO REVIEW THEIR BUDGETS. THE CONGRESS. )) (( REP. BRIAN HIGGINS/(D) BUFFALO: WE HAVE TWO RESPONSIBLITIES, PRIMARILY. ONE IS TO MAKE A BUDGET BUT WE ALSO HAVE OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT THAT MONEY IS BEING SPENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTENT OF CONGRESS. )) (( REP. CHRIS COLLINS/(R) CLARENCE: PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHO...IF IT'S TAXPAYER DOLLARS... WHERE ARE THESE DOLLARS COMING FROM. )) REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS COLLINS WANTS TO SEE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES SPELL OUT WHO'S PAYING FOR WHAT. (( DONALD TRUMP/PRESIDENT-ELECT: IT IS TIME TO DRAIN THE SWAMP. IN WASHINGTON, DC. )) AND HE THINKS PRESIDENT -ELECT DONALD TRUMP, WHO'S SCHEDULED TO BE SWORN INTO OFFICE NEXT MONTH, WOULD BE "FULLY SUPPORTIVE." (( REP. CHRIS COLLINS/(R) CLARENCE: IF NOTHING ELSE -- LET'S CALL THIS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO DIRECT HIS AGENCIES TO MAKE SURE THERE'S A DISCLAIMER ON ALL ADVERTISING. WE DON'T EVEN NEED AN ACT OF CONGRESS FOR THIS. (REPORTER) HE'LL JUST DO IT? REP. CHRIS COLLINS; YEAH, BUT WE SHOULD HAVE AN ACT OF CONGRESS TO DO IT AS WELL. )) THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLITY OFFICE ALSO FOUND THAT THE FULL SCOPE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES ISN'T REALLY KNOWN... THAT'S BECAUSE THERE ISN'T A COMMONLY ACCEPTED DEFINITION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND WHAT THAT INVOLVES... THE GAO IS PLANNING TO DO SOME FOLLOW UP WORK -- HOWEVER, THE AGENCY HASN'T YET DETERMINED THE SCOPE OF WHAT WILL BE COVERED. WE'LL KEEP YOU POSTED.