[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S12161]]
           THE NOMINATION FOR THE TREASURY INSPECTOR GENERAL

  Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I would like to report out from the Finance 
Committee the Administration's nomination of David C. Williams to be 
the Inspector General for the Treasury Department. The nomination 
hearing for Mr. Williams was held on September 24, 1998.
  The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, grants the 
independence and authority for an Inspector General to conduct audits 
and investigations to (1) detect waste, fraud or abuse, and (2) promote 
economy and efficiency in agency programs and operations. I, for one, 
deeply believe in the IG concept and support the important role an 
Inspector General must carry out. It is often a very tough and 
demanding job.
  The Treasury Inspector General is an extremely critical position that 
is responsible for overseeing several Treasury agencies, including 
three law enforcement bureaus, namely, the U.S. Customs Service, the 
U.S. Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. 
The previous Inspector General resigned as a result of an investigation 
conducted by Senator Susan Collins' Permanent Subcommittee on 
Investigations (PSI). PSI determined that the IG broke the law twice 
concerning two contracts and identified significant mismanagement 
within the Treasury IG's Office.
  The Treasury IG's Office has been a very troubled agency because of 
bad leadership. It is, therefore, an absolute requirement for the next 
Treasury Inspector General to be an individual with a proven track 
record as a strong, effective manager and leader, one who will engage 
in aggressive--but fair--oversight, and one who will carry out their 
duties with the utmost integrity. Such behavior as demonstrated by the 
previous Inspector General will not be tolerated. As the watchdog for 
the Treasury Department, the Inspector General must set a good ethical 
example.
  Mr. Williams began his career in the Federal Government in 1975 as a 
Secret Service Agent. In 1979, he went to work for the Labor 
Department's Office of Inspector General in the Office of Labor 
Racketeering, where he served as Special Agent in Charge for two field 
offices and later as the Field Director.
  During that time, Mr. Williams also served on President Reagan's 
Commission on Organized Crime. In 1986, Mr. Williams became the first 
Director for the Office of Special Investigations for the General 
Accounting Office. In 1989, Mr. Williams was nominated by President 
Bush to be the first Inspector General for the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission.
  In 1995, President Clinton nominated Mr. Williams to be the first 
Inspector General for the Social Security Administration; Mr. Williams 
became the SSA, IG in 1996. Since June 1998, Mr. Williams has been 
serving as a Senior Advisor at the Treasury Inspector General's Office.
  Mr. Williams' background as the Inspector General for two Government 
agencies, as well as his investigator background, is clearly 
representative of the qualifications needed to be the Treasury 
Inspector General. The Senate Finance Committee intends to monitor the 
progress of this agency as it gets back on track in accomplishing its 
mandated mission.

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