Political Quotes

“I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 5633, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Transparency Act, seeks to provide Congress and the public greater insight into the findings of the independent body charged with overseeing the third-largest Federal department. The DHS Office of Inspector General has the dual mission of detecting waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department and promoting economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of Departmental resources. Since the establishment of the Department in 2003, Congress has looked to the DHS OIG to provide independent, fact-based analysis into departmental programs, activities, and personnel. Historically, the DHS OIG has provided critical oversight of the Department, including audits of FEMA following Hurricane Katrina, whistleblower retaliation at the Coast Guard, and conditions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. Troublingly, for the past 2 years, reports regarding substantiated whistleblower retaliation or misconduct by senior DHS officials have been withheld from Congress and the public. Last year, the Government Accountability Office released a report that brought to light significant and longstanding operational weaknesses at the DHS OIG that GAO concluded have impacted the quality and timeliness of the OIG's work.…”