Inspector General Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LIEU. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 23, the Inspector General Protection Act, a straightforward, bipartisan bill to protect the role of our inspectors general, Since Congress passed the Inspector General Act of 1978, inspectors general have played a crucial role in our democracy.

These government watchdogs root out waste, fraud, mismanagement, and abuse at all levels of government--saving the American taxpayer billions of dollars annually and ensuring government programs benefit the People. One Government Accountability Office study concluded that the 73 Offices of Inspectors General saved taxpayers $43.3 billion in 2009, marking roughly an $18 return for every dollar invested in our nation's inspectors general. By making inspectors general independent from the agencies they oversee, Congress signaled the importance of nonpartisan oversight that defines their role today. Our legislation, the Inspector General Protection Act of 2021, ensures the independence and integrity of our nation's inspectors general by combating two threats to these offices,

First, H.R. 23 requires notification to Congress in advance of an inspector general being placed on paid or unpaid non-duty status, or incurring a change in status. This ensures Congress is aware of any potential attempts to improperly sideline an inspector general. Second, the bill requires the President to report to Congress if an inspector general has not been nominated within 210 days after a vacancy occurs for the position, including the reasons a nomination has not been made and a target date for doing so. This reasserts Congress' oversight role and allows Members to question--on an informed basis--the decision of any future administration to leave core offices vacant, which has historically been an all-too-common practice among presidents of both parties.

I would like to express my gratitude to several individuals for this legislation. First, to the late Elijah Cummings, the kind and generous former Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, who worked tirelessly to ensure the United States Government worked for all people, including by doggedly rooting out waste and fraud. He first passed the Inspector General Protection Act through the Oversight and Reform Committee two years ago. Since then, the House has signaled its support for this legislation by passing the bill in numerous forms, including as part of the HEROES Act in May 2020.

Next, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, Representative Jody Hice from Georgia, for joining me in co-leading this bipartisan, commonsense legislation. Congressman Hice has been a valuable partner on numerous oversight initiatives, including our recent Oversight.gov Authorization Act, which was signed into law as part of the omnibus package last week. I thank him and his staff in the personal office and on Committee for their continued partnership. Finally, my thanks to Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney for her tireless work to hold those in power accountable to the people--including by supporting our many initiatives to strengthen our inspectors general.

Chairwoman Maloney is an invaluable leader in the fight for good government. I urge my colleagues to support this narrowly tailored yet crucial legislation to protect our nation's inspectors general, saving the taxpayer billions of dollars and ensuring the government works for the people.

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