Joni Ernst
The U.S. Senate has approved a bipartisan bill from U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) that would help guarantee federal agencies follow through on the tax-saving recommendations made by the federal government’s inspectors general (IGs).
“Our Inspectors General provide critical oversight of our federal agencies, and the government should be held accountable for enacting their recommendations to safeguard against fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” Sen. Ernst said in a June 5 statement.
The Inspector General Recommendation Transparency Act, S. 2178, introduced on Nov. 30, 2017 by U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) with Sen. Ernst signing on as the lead original cosponsor, received Senate approval on May 23 by unanimous consent.
“I am thrilled to see Senator Heitkamp’s and my bipartisan legislation pass the Senate to make recommendations made by the Inspectors General more accessible and transparent for all Americans,” added Sen. Ernst.
IGs, which serve as federal watchdogs within government agencies, investigate and provide recommendations on how the agencies should improve operations and address fraud, waste and abuse across myriad areas, including cybersecurity, grants administration, and federal hiring and human management practices. In 2017, IGs for the third consecutive year identified and recommended more than $20 billion in potential taxpayer savings, according to a statement from the senator’s office.
If enacted, S. 2178 would require all open IG recommendations that have remained unimplemented for more than a year at their respective federal agencies to be posted on a single, searchable website, where they would be made publicly available, according to a summary of the bill provided by Sen. Ernst’s office.
Sen. Heitkamp noted that putting this information on one website will provide the general public with a way to track down which federal agencies have made good-faith efforts to resolve whatever issues have been identified by IGs, which each year uncover billions of dollars in potential taxpayer savings.
“Our bipartisan bill passing in the Senate marks an important step in holding agencies accountable and pressuring them to address fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal government,” said Sen. Heitkamp.
S. 2178 was received on May 25 in the U.S. House of Representatives, where the proposal has been referred to the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for consideration.