House panel nudges Trump over IGs

The chairman and ranking member of a key oversight committee want the Trump administration to find candidates for vacant inspector general posts.

In an April 12 letter, Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the chairman and ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked the trump administration to pick up the pace in nominating IGs.

Currently there are 11 open inspector general jobs, according to the Project on Government Oversight, which tracks the issue. The Departments of Defense, Energy and Interior currently lack a presidentially nominated inspector general. The Social Security Administration, U.S. Postal Service, CIA, National Security Agency, Office of Personnel Management, Small Business Administration and Architect of the Capitol are also on the list.       

Vacancy periods range from 100 days in the case of the SBA to more than seven years for the Interior Department.

According to the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency, IGs are a highly effective form of oversight, returning $14 in savings for every $1 of spending.

"Independent oversight of federal agencies by IGs is essential for ensuring agencies serve the public in the most effective manner possible," Chaffetz and Cummings wrote in their letter.