The U.S. anti‑corruption architecture — from inspector‑general offices to transparency rules and enforcement units, and more — is being systematically weakened. In our series, When Guardrails Erode, we bring together expert analysis that traces this erosion, assesses the risks for democratic governance, and outlines pathways to rebuild or even reinvent these safeguards.
The series will expand regularly and is paired with a continuously updated Anti‑Corruption Tracker that documents every concrete action in one place. Forthcoming pieces explore international accountability measures, FOIA, the role of inspectors general, and what states can do to protect against weakened federal anti-corruption measures, and more.
- What Congress Should Do About the President’s Sweetheart Deal in Trump v. I.R.S. by Brandon DeBot and Kelsey Merrick (June 2, 2026)
- FEPA’s First Test: Protecting American Companies Returning to Venezuela by Scott Greytak and Tom Firestone (May 21, 2026)
- State and Administrative Law Backstops to Federal Corruption by Reed Shaw and Winston Berkman-Breen (May 19, 2026)
- If President Trump is Concerned With the Entry of “Criminal Aliens,” Why Is the U.S. Welcoming Corrupt Foreign Officials? by Melissa Hooper (May 15, 2026)
- The Just Security Podcast: The Latest on International Anti-Corruption Enforcement by Richard Nephew, Bruce Swartz, and Dani Schulkin (May 14, 2026)
- Dubious Delistings: Unexplained U.S. Sanctions Removals for the Corrupt and Well-Connected by Adam Keith and Amanda Strayer (May 11, 2026)
- Will Congress Throw Out a Tool to Fight Money Laundering and Corruption? by Dani Schulkin, Jodi Vittori, and Matthew Stephenson by (May 7, 2026)
- Pioneering Plunder: How to Stop Modern Profiteering in Public Office by Abigail Bellows (Apr. 30, 2026)
- A Year Later – What Did the Pause on FCPA Enforcement Do? by Richard Nephew (March 10, 2026)
- The White House’s New Fraud Section: Key Questions by Dani Schulkin and Amy Markopoulos (Jan. 23, 2026)
- Global Corruption, Local Hypocrisy: The Promises and Pitfalls of the U.S. Combating Global Corruption Act by Schuyler Miller and Adam Keith (Dec. 9, 2025)
- How to End the Shadow Budget and Protect Congress’s Power of the Purse by Scott Levy (Nov. 21, 2025)
- Is the U.S. Becoming a Captured State? A Comparative Perspective by Naomi Roht-Arriaza (Nov. 18, 2025)
- The $550 Billion Shadow Budget: Trump’s Japan Deal and the Disappearing Appropriations Clause by Scott Levy (Oct. 30, 2025)
- Should Inspectors General be Moved to the Legislative Branch? by Jason Powell (Oct. 22, 2025)
- The Human Costs of Systemic Corruption by Abigail Bellows (Aug. 11, 2025)
- The Freedom of Information Act and Deteriorating Federal Transparency Infrastructure by Amanda Teuscher (Aug. 4, 2025)
- Hard to Kill: The Transnational Survival of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by Bruce Swartz, Sonia Mittal, Inbar Pe’er, and Brady Worthington (July 24, 2025)
- When the Guardrails Erode: An Anti-Corruption Series by Dani Schulkin and Amy Markopolous (July 23, 2025)
- The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability by Dani Schulkin, Amy Markopoulos, and Maya Nir (July 23, 2025)
- American Businesses Still Face International Human Rights Obligations, Even as Oversight Diminishes at Home by Nicole Vander Meulen (June 23, 2025)
FEATURED IMAGE: The Washington Monument reflects in the Capitol Reflecting Pool at sunset on a warm evening on June 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
