Testimony

2008
--07/10/08   Testimony of Acting Inspector General, Harold Geisel; Remarks to... Senate Judiciary Committee ; Washington, DC 

On July 10, 2008, OIG testified before Senate Judiciary Committee on Passports and Privacy. Acting Inspector General, Harold Geisel, and Assistant Inspector General (Audit), Mark Duda, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the OIG Audit division’s review of the Passport Information Electronic Records System (PIERS). The review issued 22 recommendations to improve the internal controls of the PIERS system, which had allegedly been used for multiple unauthorized accesses of individual passport records. The Committee hearing also featured a panel of privacy advocates and privacy experts.

On June 18, 2008, two members of the OIG inspection team that produced the Rule of Law Review for Afghanistan, (ISP-I-08-09, published January 2008) appeared as witnesses in a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs.  The hearing focused on the rule of law and the GAO’s recent report on police training in Afghanistan. Frank Ward (Deputy AIG-Inspections) and Erich Hart (OIG General Counsel and member of the inspection team), testified about the team's findings and recommendations. After OIG and GAO concluded their testimony as the first panel, a second panel comprised of DOS-INL, DoD, USAID, and DOJ testified.  Chairman John Tierney (D-MA), quoted from OIG's report and testimony during the second panel and furthermore complimented OIG’s report and participation during the hearing.  

 On January 18, 2007, the Inspector General, Howard J. Krongard, testified before the House Armed Services Committee during its hearing on audits of reconstruction and support activities in Iraq. Testimony on Audits of reconstruction and support activities in Iraq.

On October 18, 2005, the Inspector General, Howard J. Krongard, testified before the House Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations during its hearing on Iraq reconstruction, governance, and security.  His testimony discussed the Office of Inspector General's (OIG's) approach to oversight in Iraq and focused specifically on OIG's Review of Iraqi Rule-of-Law Programs (ISP-IQO-06-01, October 2005) an interagency assessment with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General of Iraqi Police Training (ISP-IQO-05-72, July 2005).

On September 13, 2005, Deputy Inspector General John E. Lange testified before the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations of the House Government Reform Committee, regarding the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) observations about the Department of State's progress since 2002 in strengthening the visa process as an antiterrorism tool. The testimony highlighted substantial measures taken by the Department when compared to the findings and recommendations made in OIG's December 2002 report on Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance Policy and Procedures (ISP-I-03-26).

On April 7, 2003, the Acting Inspector General testified before the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations of the House Government Reform Committee on OIG's observations concerning, "The President's Management Agenda: Rightsizing the U.S. Presence Abroad." Ambassador Sigmund's testimony highlighted OIG's efforts to systematically examine rightsizing of overseas presence as a part of our routine inspections of missions, addressing the challenges faced and the advancements made by the Department in this area. She also discussed OIG's general findings concerning security conditions at overseas missions. Ambassador Will Itoh, Acting Deputy Inspector General, also testified at this hearing but in his former capacities as member and executive secretary of the Overseas Presence Advisory Panel (OPAP).