The U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, is looking into the “misreporting” of cash contributions to charity by individuals when they file their tax returns, The Chronicle’s Government and Politics Watch blog reports.

Plus:

• About a dozen advocacy groups and Muslim charities told a federal court today that the government’s seizure of a charity’s assets because of allegations it assisted terrorists hurts humanitarian work and America’s efforts to fight terrorism.

• The accountability office has also released a report that describes the ways federal funds are provided to tax-exempt organizations and attempts to quantify the amounts nonprofit organizations receive through government programs.

• The White House has yet to provide details on its new Office of Social Innovation, but next week the Aspen Institute, in Washington, is holding a meeting to discuss parts of the effort, which seeks to provide federal assistance to innovative nonprofit groups that are working on the country’s most pressing problems.