Pursuit's Take
The federal government spends $1.5 billion a year for what is generally called “public relations.” How is that money spent?
At the four agencies GAO reviewed—the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, FEMA, NASA, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—most public relations spending focused on educating the public about their specific tools, resources, and programs.
For example, CFPB used contracts to raise awareness of its tools to educate and empower consumers to make better financial decisions, and FEMA’s contracts and public affairs staff focused on promoting emergency preparedness.