Chuck Grassley: “I am here today to discuss a very serious matter that goes right to the heart of one of Congress's most important…”

“I am here today to discuss a very serious matter that goes right to the heart of one of Congress's most important responsibilities, the responsibility of constitutional oversight to see that the laws are faithfully executed by the executive branch of Government. American taxpayers expect Congress to exercise oversight in order to ensure that their hard-earned dollars are not wasted. To conduct more effective oversight, Congress adopted the Inspector General Act in 1978, creating a system of inspectors general. I will probably refer to them as everyone else does, as IGs. We did this throughout many departments of Government. The IGs are supposed to be watchdogs or, as I like to say, a junkyard dog. They are our first line of defense against fraud, waste, and abuse. When it happens, the IGs are supposed to report it to the agency head and to Congress and to recommend appropriate corrective action. IGs are the top cops inside of each agency in the executive branch of Government. They police the Federal workforce. If rules are broken, then they have to investigate allegations of misconduct and refer their findings to proper authorities. To be credible, IGs must be beyond reproach. Above all, they must live by the rules they themselves enforce. They must set an example of excellence in their personal conduct and they must always do so; otherwise, they lack credibility. So I tend to, as a Member of the Senate, watch the watchdogs.”