Statement of Senator Daniel K. Akaka

Thank you Mr. Chairman.  I join you in welcoming our distinguished panel members.  I want to thank you for organizing this important hearing.  As the thirty-year anniversary of the Inspector General Act of 1978 nears, it is an opportune time to review the many successes of our nation's Inspectors General (IG) and to consider how their role can be strengthened. 

Inspectors General serve as watchdogs for the Executive Branch, promoting honesty, integrity, and efficiency throughout the federal government.  IGs - along with federal whistleblowers and the Office of Special Counsel - make sure the federal government works for the American people.

I am deeply troubled by recent allegations of agency attempts to interfere with the independence of Inspectors General.  Among the most important duties of an IG is to investigate and report the facts when there is evidence of high-level wrongdoing in an agency.  This is also perhaps an IG's most difficult duty, and it is the time when the IG's independence is most likely to be challenged.  Recent allegations of agency attempts to interfere with IGs' investigations remind us that IG independence is not an academic matter, but a pressing policy concern.  For example, then-Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lawrence Small, reportedly attempted to interfere with the Smithsonian IG's audit of his expenses before allegations of top-level wrongdoing broke. 

I am particularly interested in learning more about ensuring that IG offices have adequate resources.  Perhaps they should be required to submit their budget requests directly to Congress.  Inspectors General save taxpayers billions of dollars by promoting efficiency and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, so ensuring that IG offices are adequately funded is a wise investment of taxpayer money. 

Again, Mr. Chairman, I thank you for holding this hearing today, and I look forward to learning more about these important issues.