[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 6, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

 Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. President, I applaud the Senate's action in 
passing a joint resolution, S. J. Res. 58, recognizing the 
accomplishments of Inspectors General during the last 20 years.
  Inspectors General came into being in 1978, when with the leadership 
of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, Congress passed the act 
creating these vital positions. The initial legislation was modified 
and expanded in 1988, and today there are IGs at nearly 60 Federal 
departments, agencies, and other entities. IGs are a unique 
institution. By design, they are independent voices that owe duties to 
both Congress and their agency heads. Their job, which is not easy, is 
to identify and report on waste, fraud, and abuse, and other problems 
in Federal Government and then recommend solutions.
  IGs have served the taxpayers of this country well. Every year, they 
make recommendations totaling billions of dollars on how our government 
should spend money more wisely. They return hundreds of millions of 
dollars to the Federal treasury annually through investigative 
recoveries. And they help protect the integrity of Federal Government 
operations by successfully prosecuting thousands of criminal cases and 
suspending or disbarring thousands of individuals and entities who have 
taken advantage of the government.
  Naturally, IGs are not always popular at their agencies. No official 
likes to hear that a policy proposal is going to cost too much money or 
that a favored program suffers from waste, fraud, or abuse. But 
delivering news about problems, while sometimes unpopular or unwelcome 
by an agency, is vital to responsive and wise government management.
  Thus, we did well to pass this resolution recognizing the 
achievements of the IGs and thanking them for their services. The 
Governmental Affairs Committee looks forward to working with the IGs in 
the future, including considering possible improvements to the IG act 
to ensure that they are afforded the necessary independence and 
authority.

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