Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to urge passage of S. 579, the Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2015. I want to thank my friend, Senator Grassley, who just spoke, for his work on this bill and for his longstanding commitment and dedicated promotion of accountability and transparency for efficient government. It is an unfortunate reality that the executive branch today is more powerful, more expansive, and less transparent than it has ever been. Senator Grassley and I are privileged to be the chairmen of committees that have expansive authorities and responsibilities to oversee the executive branch and all of its programs. But we need help in our efforts. We are fortunate that Congress in 1978 created crucial partners for us: independent watchdogs embedded in each agency, accountable only to Congress and the American people. They are the American people's eyes and ears, and they are our best partner in rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers' hard-earned money. This bill is about increasing agency accountability and transparency. It exempts IGs from time-consuming and independence-threatening requirements such as the computer matching and paperwork reduction statutes. The bill also allows inspectors general, in limited circumstances, to compel the testimony of former agency employees or Federal contractors whose information they need to pursue cases of fraud and abuse.…”