[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S7016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Robert P. Storch

  Mr. President, on another short point I want to make, I want to 
congratulate our Senate colleagues on confirming Rob Storch to be the 
new Department of Defense inspector general. This happened last week. 
The DOD Office of Inspector General has been without a Senate-confirmed 
IG for almost 7 years, and we all know that is far too long.
  Inspectors general play a key role in watchdogging the executive 
branch. They act as force multipliers for Congress through our 
constitutional responsibility of congressional oversight.
  Inspectors general must hold government bureaucrats accountable with 
hard-hitting findings and recommendations. They must remain on the 
attack to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. The Department of Defense 
has an annual budget of over $700 billion. It is high time that we have 
an IG confirmed that is accountable to Congress to watchdog this money.
  The Department of Defense inspector general must now hit the ground 
running in conducting effective and efficient oversight over the waste, 
fraud, and abuse that happens at the Department of Defense.
  I, along with my colleagues, expect the Department of Defense 
inspector general to be an inspector general who has teeth, unafraid to 
identify wrongdoing. And we will expect him to call out those who seek 
to get rich off the backs of hard-working American taxpayers as well as 
those who put our Nation at risk.
  I expect Mr. Storch to be that watchdog. I also expect him to work 
with Congress to conduct oversight in areas of congressional interest 
and be responsive to requests for information that any Member of 
Congress seeks.
  Transparency is key, and being responsive and accountable to Congress 
will be crucial to his success. I look forward to working with Mr. 
Storch in his new role as Department of Defense IG.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. BROWN. I ask unanimous consent that I complete my remarks--I 
think they will be concluded by 11:30--but that I be allowed to go a 
minute or two over before the rollcall.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.