POGO Applauds Passage of Inspector General (IG) Empowerment Act

The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) applauds today’s passage of the Inspector General (IG) Empowerment Act in the Senate. POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian said:

“This bill helps restore the authority Congress intended IGs to have when it originally passed the Inspector General Act -- the legal ability to access all relevant agency information needed to conduct effective investigations into government waste and misconduct.

We look forward to President Obama making good on his pledge to sign the bill into law.

For years, POGO has recognized the vital role of IGs and pushed for improvements to the system.

An Inspector General’s work can often be measured in dollars and cents, such as the $14.8 billion that IGs recovered for U.S. taxpayers in 2013.

In other cases, effective IG oversight goes beyond the numbers, shining a light on problems such as the FBI’s abuse of its powers under the Patriot Act, the improper installation of systems to protect U.S. troops from improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, and a culture of corruption at the former Minerals Management Service at the Interior Department. These are just a few of many examples.

We thank Congress for passing this important legislation, introduced originally by Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson.”

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