Testimony

The Inspector General testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on “Controlling Costs and Improving the Effectiveness of FHWA and FTA,” with a focus on mandatory programs. His testimony focused on four areas where audits and investigations highlighted opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of transportation investments, achieve cost savings, and increase revenues to the Highway Trust Fund. The areas are: (1) putting idle funds to use on important projects; (2) getting more for the transportation dollar by strengthening project management and financial oversight, such as preparing reliable project cost estimates; (3) combating fuel-tax evasion to secure tax revenue to the Highway Trust Fund; and (4) detecting and preventing fraud by strengthening debarment authority, enhancing state oversight, and sharing Federal recoveries with the states. Also testifying were FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters and General Accounting Office Director of Physical Infrastructure Issues JayEtta Hecker.