House Chairman Waxman Compiling List of IGs' Unused Recommendations

[Hissyspit]

Source: governmentexecutive.com

House chairman compiling list of IGs' unused recommendations

By Dan Friedman Congress
Daily January 30, 2008
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is gathering from federal inspectors general lists of their unimplemented recommendations under President Bush, information that will allow Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to step up monitoring of agencies and IGs.

Waxman wants the independent watchdogs by Thursday to provide reports detailing all their recommendations since Jan. 1, 2001, that their agencies did not accept. In letters sent Dec. 7, Waxman asked 63 federal IGs to summarize each unimplemented recommendation, estimate the cost savings and other benefits, and describe the investigation that prompted the recommendation.

The lists will give the committee a tool for its aggressive oversight of the Bush administration and help ensure inspectors general participate in that effort. "We want to see whether the IGs are doing their job and whether the agencies are doing theirs," Waxman, who recently forced the resignation of the State Department's inspector general, said Tuesday.

- snip -

Inspector general offices operate within agencies but report to Congress. Their reports frequently contain lengthy lists of recommendations, which agencies have no legal obligation to adopt.

But the committee can use the lists to increase pressure on agencies. Asked if agency heads testifying before the committee can expect queries about IG recommendations they ignored, Waxman said, "That's why we sent the letter."

Read more: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0108/013008cdam1.htm

[Robbien]

1. My admiration for Waxman grows and grows

The man is tenacious and has a gift for making sure the facts on all the atrocities are gathered and recorded.

[Kaleko]

2. Why isn't he investigating the Sibel Edmonds revelations, though?

[catzies]

3. This report is for his committee - Govt. Oversight and Reform,

The man is awesome but he can't do everything. :D Belated welcome to DU. :hi:

[sattahipdeep]

4. Spill the beans....

Prior to 2006, Congressman Henry Waxman of the House Government Reform and
Oversight Committee promised Edmonds that if the Democrats gained control
of Congress, he would order hearings into her charges. But following the
Democratic sweep, he has been less forthcoming, failing to schedule
hearings, refusing to take Edmonds’s calls, and recently stonewalling all
inquiries into the matter. It is generally believed that Waxman, a strong
supporter of Israel, is nervous about exposing an Israeli lobby role in the
corruption that Edmonds describes. It is also suspected that Waxman fears
that the revelations might open a Pandora’s box, damaging Republicans and Democrats alike.

http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_01_28/article1.html

Edmonds added that when after 9/11 foreign operatives were taken in for
questioning, the State Department official said "We need to get them out
of the US because we can't afford for them to spill the beans."

The four suspects on the list were released from interrogation and
extradited from the country immediately afterwards.