Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this amendment transfers approximately $10 million to the EPA's Office of Inspector General from the $2.5 billion EPA environmental programs and management appropriations account. The amendment is necessary to support the EPA OIG's work related to preventing waste, fraud, and abuse, and identifying inefficiencies and potential cost savings at the EPA. The EPA Office of Inspector General has faced significant funding challenges in recent years. Its full-time employees dropped from 349 to 289, a decrease of almost one-fifth of the office's workforce. Despite significant resource challenges, the Office of Inspector General at EPA continued to conduct important investigations and audits that saved money for taxpayers and revealed misconduct and abuses at the agency. During FY14, EPA OIG reported $380 million in savings, which is a $7.35 return on investment for every dollar in the OIG budget. The EPA's Office of Inspector General identified $4.1 million in savings during the most recent semiannual reporting period. The EPA OIG has also investigated gross misconduct and abuses at EPA that yielded savings for taxpayers. For instance, in 2013, the office conducted a criminal investigation into former EPA employee John Beale, who was found to have stolen government money and engaged in travel voucher fraud and time and attendance fraud. Beale committed these frauds by masquerading as an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency.…”