Census Bureau Failed to Vet 2020 Count Hires, Employed Number of Criminals
The Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) unredacted a controlled 2020 audit of the U.S. Census Bureau that revealed inadequate review of new employees.
Top Republican on Senate Banking Committee Seeks Probe Into Potential Civil Service Violations by Biden Administration
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, is seeking a probe into potential civil service violations being committed by the Biden administration, specifically at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
DOJ Issues Memo on Gaps in Whistleblower Protections for Contractors
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) sent a management advisory memorandum to remind personnel about whistleblower rights and protections for contractors. Michael Horowitz, DOJ’s Inspector General, sent the memo to Michael Allen, who is the Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Senior Procurement Executive in the Justice Management Division.
OPM OIG Details Agency’s Failure to Provide Documents in Letter to Congress
In a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Financial Services and General Government, the Office of Personnel Management’s Office of the Inspector General (OPM OIG) outlined how the central management agency has failed to comply with the laws requiring OPM to provide the OIG with “timely access to agency records.”
EPA OIG to Review Reopening Plans as House Subcommittee Calls for Increased Oversight
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to review the agency’s reopening of offices across the country. The notice comes after the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Government Operations Subcommittee wrote letters to 24 IG offices requesting they oversee agency reopening plans.
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Launches Contract Spending Tracker Tool
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, created under the CARES Act to oversee the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, released a tool today to track how relief packages were dispersed. The committee also released a June 2020 report on challenges agencies are facing when handling the CARES Act implementation and pandemic response.
Congress Requests IG Oversight on Agency Reopenings
House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) sent letters to the Inspector General (IG) offices of 24 federal agencies requesting they develop assessment plans for reviewing their agencies’ plans for reopening. The letters criticize a lack of cooperation with oversight bodies from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management.
Legislators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expedite Hiring of Pandemic Recovery Watchdog
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced legislation to boost oversight of trillions of dollars in taxpayer funded pandemic relief by helping the special watchdog quickly onboard oversight staff. The Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) Expedited Hiring Authority Act allows the SIGPR to bypass the current government hiring process to allow the office to quickly ramp up oversight operations.