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Sarbanes Highlights Importance of Independent Inspectors General to Hold Government Accountable to the People [Video]

May 26, 2020

At House Oversight Committee Briefing, Congressman Sarbanes Called Attention to the Critical Role Played by IGs in Cracking Down on Government Waste, Fraud, Abuse and Corruption

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a House Oversight and Reform Committee briefing today, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) saluted the important work of Inspectors General, like Principal Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Christi A. Grimm, who serve as frontline watchdogs for the American people by exposing government waste, fraud, abuse and corruption.

"I found this description of Inspectors General: ‘… A U.S. federal Inspector General is the head of an independent, non-partisan organization established within each executive branch agency, assigned to audit the agency's operation in order to discover and investigate cases of misconduct, fraud and abuse – and other abuse of government procedures occurring within the agency," said Congressman Sarbanes. "That description emphasizes a point that [Principal Deputy Inspector General Grimm has] made and that a lot of my colleagues have made, which is how critical the independence of your work is to the result we seek, and that you're really working on behalf of the public…."

Sarbanes continued: "And that's why these [Inspectors General] protections that we've talked about – that you're able to maintain that independence, be protected against retaliation and other political maneuvers. So, we're going, as a committee, to insist on your independence and we thank you for carrying out your job with that particular mission in mind."

See below for the full exchange.

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