The state Public Interest Research Groups created U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) in 1983 to act as watchdog for the public interest in our nation's capital, much like PIRGs have worked to safeguard the public interest in state capitals since 1971. The organization's roots at the state level, and U.S. PIRG members across the country, give it a unique "outside the beltway" perspective and provide the grassroots power necessary to influence the national policy debate.