Today, the chairs of multiple House Committees sent a letter condemning President Donald Trump’s assault on Inspectors General (IGs) and requesting direct input from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency on legislative and other proposals to increase the independence of IGs and protect them from retaliation.
“Unlike any President in modern history, President Trump has engaged in offensive and unjustified attacks against Inspectors General, criticizing them for following the law, and retaliating against them for telling the truth,” the Chairs wrote.
The letter highlights several actions by President Trump against IGs, including removing the newly-appointed Chair of Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, publicly attacking the Principal Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services for reporting on hospital supply shortages during the coronavirus crisis, and firing the Intelligence Community Inspector General because he is “not a Trump fan” and because he followed the law in alerting the congressional intelligence committees that the whistleblower complaint, which revealed the
President’s abuse of power that ultimately led to his impeachment, was being withheld from
Congress.
“Each one of these actions by the President would raise significant concerns by itself,” the Chairs wrote. “Together, they reflect a campaign of political retaliation and reward that is antithetical to good government, undermines the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and degrades the federal government’s ability to function competently.”
The letter seeks input from the IG Council on legislative proposals, including a proposal to limit the removal of IGs to certain “good cause” conditions. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, made the proposed legislation public today.
“Congress is appropriating trillions of taxpayer dollars in response to the coronavirus crisis, and Americans across the political spectrum need these funds allocated effectively and efficiently,” the Chairs concluded. “They do not want these funds squandered, mismanaged, or subjected to waste, fraud, or abuse. In order to achieve these goals, we must protect the independence and integrity of our Inspectors General.”
The letter was led by Maloney and joined by:
Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson
Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey
Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith
Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth
Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr
Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot L. Engel
Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson
House Administration Committee Chair Zoe Lofgren
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler
Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff
Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern
Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor
Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter A. DeFazio
Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal
Oversight Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerald E. Connolly
Oversight National Security Subcommittee Chairman Stephen F. Lynch
Click here to read today’s letter.
Click here to read the legislation.
