Political Quotes

“I have long fought to promote transparency and accountability in our Federal Government. From standing up to defend and strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, to protecting government whistleblowers, promoting transparency and accountability are among my top priorities. This Congress, Senator Grassley and I joined together to introduce the FBI Whistleblower Protection Act. And today we have again worked together to advance legislation to support inspectors general and ensure accountability. I support the revised IG Empowerment Act and hope it can be signed into law before the end of the year. Inspectors general play a critical role in promoting government transparency and accountability. They help ensure that Federal agencies and their employees operate efficiently, effectively, and within the scope of the law. The goal of the IG Empowerment Act is to strengthen the Office of Inspectors General and increase their independence, and it is a goal I support. One very important provision would help clarify that IGs should have access to all documents they need to conduct their investigations, audits, and reviews. This is something I agree with. Senator Grassley and I held a bipartisan hearing on this issue and agreed to work together to find a solution to this problem. While we need to make sure that the IGs have the tools they need to do their job, the Fourth Amendment demands that we not grant administrative subpoena power lightly.…”