Katie Porter: “The Inspector General Independence and Empowerment Act protects our Nation's government watchdogs. Inspectors general…”

“The Inspector General Independence and Empowerment Act protects our Nation's government watchdogs. Inspectors general are independent officials responsible for preventing and detecting waste, fraud, and abuse. They safeguard the interests of taxpayers and weed out corruption. We need stronger protections to prevent biased or unqualified acting inspectors general from assuming these vital roles. I championed such measures in my Accountability for Acting Officials Act, and I am proud to say they are included in the chairwoman's bill. These provisions would forbid dual-hatting, serving as both a political appointee and an acting inspector general at the same agency. This conflict of interest compromises the independence of the inspector general's work. American taxpayers fund these agencies. They deserve to know that those agencies are working on their behalf. They deserve inspectors general who will fight to protect their dollars and our government's integrity. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Inspector General Independence and Empowerment Act. I thank Chair Maloney for her leadership on government integrity, including this important bill.”