In the United States,Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to many federal executive departments,independent federal agencies,as well as state and local governments. Each office includes an inspector general and employees charged with identifying,auditing,and investigating fraud,waste,abuse,embezzlement and mismanagement of any kind within the executive department.
Stuart W. Bowen Jr.,is an American lawyer who served as the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) from October 2004 to October 2013. He previously served as the Inspector General for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA-IG),a position to which he was appointed in January 2004. Mr. Bowen's mission includes ensuring effective oversight of the $63 billion appropriated for Iraq's relief and reconstruction.
The Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) was created as the successor to the Coalition Provisional Authority Office of Inspector General (CPA-IG). SIGIR was an independent government agency created by the Congress to provide oversight of the use of the $52 billion U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq. Stuart W. Bowen Jr. was appointed to the position of CPA-IG on January 20,2004 and served until its closure in October 2013. SIGIR reported directly to Congress,the Secretary of State,and the Secretary of Defense.
The Office of Inspector General for the Department of State (OIG) is an independent office within the U.S. Department of State with a primary responsibility to prevent and detect waste,fraud,abuse,and mismanagement. OIG inspects more than 270 embassies,diplomatic posts,and international broadcasting installations throughout the world to determine whether policy goals are being achieved and whether the interests of the United States are being represented and advanced effectively.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was established along with the Department of Homeland Security itself in 2002 by the Homeland Security Act. Its website describes its mission as "supervis[ing] independent audits,investigations,and inspections of the programs and operations of DHS,and recommends ways for DHS to carry out its responsibilities in the most effective,efficient,and economical manner possible."
Glenn Alan Fine is the former principal deputy Inspector General of the Department of Defense and former Acting IG of the Department of Defense. He joined the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General in June 2015.
The U.S.Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General is one of the Inspector General offices created by the Inspector General Act of 1978. The Inspector General for the Department of Transportation,like the Inspectors General of other federal departments and agencies,is charged with monitoring and auditing department programs to combat waste,fraud,and abuse.
The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) addresses integrity,economy,and effectiveness issues that transcend individual Government agencies;and increase the professionalism and effectiveness of personnel by developing policies,technical standards,and approaches to aid in the establishment of a well-trained and highly skilled workforce in the Office of Inspector General. CIGIE was established in October 2008 as an independent entity within the United States executive branch by the Inspector General Reform Act (IGRA).
The Department of Defense Inspector General (DoDIG) is an independent,objective agency that provides oversight related to the programs and operations of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DoD IG was created in 1982 as an amendment to the Inspector General Act of 1978.
The Department of Defense Whistleblower Program in the United States is a whistleblower protection program within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) whereby DoD personnel are trained on whistleblower rights. The Inspector General's commitment fulfills,in part,the federal mandate to protect whistleblowers. It also administers the Defense Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Program (DICWP),as a sub-mission for the intelligence community. The Inspector General's Defense Criminal Investigative Service also conducts criminal investigations which rely,in part,on Qui Tam relators.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is responsible for detecting and preventing fraud,waste,abuse,and violations of law and to promote economy,efficiency and effectiveness in the operations of USAID,the Millennium Challenge Corporation,the United States African Development Foundation,and the Inter-American Foundation. Upon request,OIG also provides oversight services to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is an office in the United States Federal government. It was established in January 1999 in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 to provide independent oversight of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) activities. As mandated by RRA 98,TIGTA assumed most of the responsibilities of the IRS' former Inspection Service.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for oversight of the United States Department of Health and Human Service's approximately $2.4 trillion portfolio of programs. Approximately 1,650 auditors,investigators,and evaluators,supplemented by staff with expertise in law,technology,cybersecurity,data analytics,statistics,medicine,economics,health policy,and management and administration. Based on Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey scores,OIG has been ranked the best place to work in HHS for 5 consecutive years by the Partnership for Public Service.
Daniel Ronald Levinson is an American attorney who served as Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from September 8,2004,to May 31,2019. HHS is among the largest departments in the federal government,encompassing Medicare,Medicaid,public health,medical research,food and drug safety,welfare,child and family services,disease prevention,Indian health,and mental health services. It also exercises leadership responsibilities in public health emergency preparedness and combating bio-terrorism.
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is the U.S. government's leading oversight authority on Afghanistan reconstruction. Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to provide independent and objective oversight of the Afghanistan Reconstruction funds. Under the authority of Section 1229 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008,SIGAR conducts audit,inspections,and investigations to promote efficiency and effectiveness of reconstruction programs,and to detect and prevent waste,fraud,and abuse of taxpayer dollars. SIGAR also has a hotline that allows individuals to report suspected fraud.
The Defense Intelligence Community Whistleblower Program (DICWP) is a sub-mission of the Department of Defense Whistleblower Program. In administering the DICWP,the Office of the Inspector General,U.S. Department of Defense (DoDIG) balances the competing national security and separation of powers interests raised by whistleblowing within the Defense Intelligence Community.The DoDIG provides a safe,authorized conduit for Defense Department whistleblowers to disclose classified information. The Inspector General also has authority to investigate whistleblowing reprisal allegations filed by civilian and military members of the Defense Intelligence Community. It therefore accepts the disclosures and provides source protection for those providing the information. The Department of Defense funds and supervises much of the Republic's intelligence gathering. DoD IG accordingly provides protection to a large number of civilian and military intelligence personnel.
The Inspector General Act of 1978 is a United States federal law defining a standard set of Inspector General offices across several specified departments of the U.S. federal government.
Joseph Vincent Cuffari is the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,serving since 2019. He previously held positions in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations,Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General,and as a policy advisor to Arizona Governors Jan Brewer and Doug Ducey.
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) is an independent oversight committee within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency,created by the Coronavirus Aid,Relief,and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 to ensure that the $2.2 trillion of the CARES act,plus 5 other pandemic-related pieces of legislation totaling over $5 trillion in government funds,were not misspent.
In April and May 2020,United States President Donald Trump dismissed the inspectors general (IGs) of five cabinet departments in the space of six weeks. The inspectors general removed were Michael K. Atkinson,Intelligence,on April 3;Glenn Fine (acting),Defense,April 7;Christi Grimm (acting),Health and Human Services,May 1;Mitch Behm (acting),Transportation,May 15;and Steve Linick,State,May 15. In four of the cases the announcement was made late on a Friday night in a classic Friday news dump. In several cases the fired IGs had taken an action which Trump disliked,so that the dismissals were widely described as retaliation. In two other cases,questions were raised about whether the dismissals related to ongoing IG investigations into the conduct of the cabinet secretary in charge of that department. The cumulative firings were often described as a "purge" or as a "war on watchdogs".
