Government Corruption & Oversight News
The Daily Signal investigates corruption, fraud, and abuse in government while tracking oversight hearings, whistleblower reports, and accountability measures that promote integrity in public service.
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news
‘Extreme Concern’: Oversight Republican Demands IG Investigation Into Biden Administration’s Hiring Practices
House Oversight Committee Republican Jody Hice demanded a watchdog investigation of the federal government’s potentially illegal hiring practices. Hice, the ranking member of the subcommittee on government operations, asked Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Inspector General Mark Bialek to urgently open an investigation into reports that the agency has used illegal means to force senior officials… -
news
Fauci Must Explain Why Oversight Bypassed for Funding to Wuhan Lab, Congressman Says
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., said it is “very concerning” that the federal infectious disease research organization led by Dr. Anthony Fauci bypassed federal oversight of a grant that funded a lab in Wuhan, China, to genetically modify bat-based coronaviruses. Infectious disease experts say the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases’ grant to the nonprofit… -
news
New Oversight Chairman Calls All-Out Probe of Trump ‘a Fight for the Soul of Our Democracy’
The new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee says he will do all he can to investigate President Donald Trump and his administration over the next two years. “We are in a fight for the soul of our democracy,” Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that… -
opinion
Firing a Bad Federal Employee May Get a Little Easier
Holding federal employees accountable is essentially impossible. They have the highest job security of any sector of the economy. In fact, out of a federal non-military workforce of 2.1 million, only 11,046 persons—or 0.5 percent—were fired in 2017. One reason for this is the cumbersome process managers must endure to fire a single employee. Multiple… -
news
Chuck Grassley Prescribes Oversight to Keep Bureaucracy in Check
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says that robust congressional oversight is needed to govern well and keep each branch of government in check. “Today we live under a government … that is no longer governed by congressional action, enforced by the president, and interpreted by the courts,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in… -
news
‘The Oversight Man’ Explains Why Washington Doesn’t Change
Just a couple of months ago, investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson profiled Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which was poised to dig deep on wide-ranging investigations into government mischief, waste, fraud, and abuse. A few weeks later, Chaffetz abruptly announced he would resign from Congress. Attkisson… -
news
Chairman of Key Oversight Panel Says He Opts for Family Over Government Probes
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, startled constituents and fellow lawmakers Wednesday by announcing he will not seek re-election. Chaffetz has been more visible than most colleagues as chairman since 2015 of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a post considered critical for government transparency and accountability. “Thank you for allowing me to serve as your… -
news
Meet ‘the Oversight Man’ in Congress
Some consider it the most powerful investigative committee in Congress: the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It has nearly unlimited purview to look into most any matter that has a tie to government. In the past, that’s meant investigating everything from steroids in sports to the housing crisis. I recently spoke to the current… -
news
Audit: IRS Fails Transparency Test on Over 1 in 10 FOIA Requests
A new audit shows that the Internal Revenue Service improperly withheld information from requesters under the Freedom of Information Act 12.3 percent of the time. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, the IRS’ auditor, reviewed a statistically valid sample of 65 FOIA requests and found eight requests for which the tax collector… -
news
Senator Moves to Rein in $600 Million Government Agency That Operates ‘Without Real Congressional Oversight’
In an attempt to enforce transparency and accountability, a Republican senator is attempting to restructure a federal agency that oversees a wide range of consumer financial products. The agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, operates with 1,372 full-time employees on roughly a $600 million annual budget. “Right now, [the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] is a rogue… -
opinion
Lawmakers Now Have Opportunity to Strengthen Their Oversight of the Iran Deal
The Senate soon will have an opportunity to strengthen congressional oversight over the Obama administration’s naïve and risky nuclear framework agreement with Iran. The Senate will be considering the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, introduced by Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The bill would allow members of Congress to review… -
news
Bill de Blasio’s Pick for NYPD Oversight Board Linked to Group in Cop-Killer Video
The lawyer who chairs the New York City agency responsible for investigating police brutality allegations has ties to the federally funded legal-aid group featured in a cop-killer video. Richard Emery, chairman of the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board and his own civil-rights law firm, told The Daily Signal that any perceived conflict of interest is… -
news
Government Audit Finds Welfare Fraud, Lack of Oversight
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska’s state auditor has unearthed a variety of problems with the way Nebraska doles out welfare and monitors the program, including $11,000 in payments for six months’ worth of cab rides, even though the welfare recipient owned a car. Even though the problems were found during audits that are still in progress,… -
opinion
A Snub to Congress: Oversight of International Broadcasting Agency in Question
With the hiring of new Chief Executive Officer Andy Lack, formerly of Bloomberg News, the Broadcasting Board of Governors has pulled an end-run around congressional efforts to reform and restore civilian U.S. international broadcasting. The hire was announced this week, the same week it became clear that reform legislation, H.R. 4490, which passed the House… -
news
‘Big Green’ Lobby Wants to Cut 2 of 3 Forestry Oversight Branches
Pay your protection money. Do the secret handshake. And kiss the ring. Otherwise, forget having green activists attach their environmental seal of approval to the wood products harvested from your forest. That’s essentially the message organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace will be in a position to…