Political Quotes

“today I am introducing the Inspector General Act Amendments of 1999. I am very pleased to be joined by my colleagues, Senators Roth, Grassley, and Bond, who have demonstrated unparalleled leadership on IG issues in the Senate. Indeed, Senator Roth is one of the architects of the inspector general law, having advocated its creation in 1978 and, in 1982, having introduced legislation that created IGs in the Departments of Defense, Justice, and the Treasury. In such distinguished company, I am confident that my legislation hits the mark of improving an already invaluable program. As chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, one of my top priorities since coming to the Senate has been the seemingly never-ending fight against waste, fraud, and abuse. We have all heard the horror stories of $500 hammers and roads built to nowhere. The waste of scarce Federal resources not only picks the pockets of taxpayers, but also places severe financial pressures on already overburdened programs, in some cases forcing cutbacks in the delivery of vital Government services. Over the past 2 years in my capacity as the subcommittee's chairman, I have seen disturbing fraud and waste firsthand in a wide variety of programs. Last year, for example, the subcommittee held several hearings to shine a spotlight on the massive fraud in the Medicare Program.”