[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 24 (Thursday, March 7, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NOMINATION OF JOE SCHMITZ

  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Madam President, I believe that the 
Department of Defense Inspector General position is among the most 
important in the Department, because the IG office is responsible for 
ensuring accountability and efficiency, and therefore is the heart of 
integrity in the Pentagon.
  There have been numerous scandals in the IG office in the recent 
past, which has been rudderless, without a confirmed nominee for 3 
years. With the IG office in disarray, there is the impression left 
that the Department is without proper and necessary oversight. I am 
also told that the IG office has been headless for some 10 years over 
the past couple of decades--which is a disgrace. Without strong 
leadership, direction and motivation, no office can function 
efficiently and effectively.
  Secretary Rumsfeld needs an Inspector General. We are, after all, at 
war. Joe Schmitz was the choice of the Secretary of Defense and the 
choice of President Bush for this important post. Mr. Schmitz is an 
individual with a strong background for the job, and with impeccable 
personal and professional credentials. I hope that we can move forward 
expeditiously with his nomination, now that it has been cleared both by 
the Armed Services committee--by voice vote--and by the Government 
Affairs Committee.
  Individuals who undergo the nomination process put their names and 
reputations on the line, opening themselves up to intense scrutiny of 
their past employment, their finances, their conduct and their 
associations. They fill out hundreds of documents. Mr. Schmitz has been 
held up for long enough--there are no ethical issues impacting his 
nomination, and he has received strong recommendations from those who 
know him and have worked with him, regardless of party affiliation.
  I believe that Joe Schmitz was a superlative choice by Secretary 
Rumsfeld and president Bush, and that he will make an outstanding IG. 
The Senate needs to act now, to fill this important position at the 
Department of Defense and to give Secretary Rumsfeld the team he needs 
to do his job.

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