Oversight
Embattled Housing Finance Agency IG Steps Down
An IG oversight body found Laura Wertheimer “engaged in conduct that undermines the integrity reasonably expected of an IG.”
Oversight
Analysis: Why We’ll Likely Never Know Whether a COVID-19 Lab Leak Happened in China
If international scientific sleuths are hoping to see a lab log or find a whistleblower, that sort of information won’t be revealed. In China today, it is dangerous to say what you know if it challenges the official government narrative.
Oversight
The U.S. Is Closing a Loophole That Lured Mexicans Over the Border to Donate Blood Plasma for Cash
Selling blood plasma in the U.S. could net Mexican residents hundreds of dollars a month — if they donated often enough. But some were putting their health at risk to do so.
Oversight
Watchdog: Federal Air Marshal Service Should Better Address COVID-19 Documentation and Testing
The agency did take steps to protect its workforce, GAO said.
Oversight
Many More Secret Service Employees Tested Positive for COVID-19 Than Previously Known
A report from a nonprofit group shows nearly 900 cases in the first year of the pandemic.
Oversight
Watchdog: Army Corps of Engineers Should Reevaluate Border Contracting Strategies
The agency said while President Trump’s border emergency was “largely undefined,” it’s considering changes for emergency responses.
Oversight
Republicans Call for Hearing on Possible IRS Leak of Personal Taxpayer Information
Federal agencies took immediate action to investigate how a news organization got ahold of the sensitive information.
Oversight
Senator Seeks Probe Into Potential Civil Service Violations Under Biden
Top Banking Committee Republican is demanding answers from the administration and asking the IG for a full investigation.
Oversight
GOP Lawmakers Question Ethics Waivers for Former Union Officials at OMB, OPM
House Republicans asked why Democrats have not objected to the use of ethics waivers by the Biden administration, although experts took no issue with the appointees in question.
Oversight
Congress Considers Future of the Military Draft, while Supreme Court Holds Off
Questions include whether women should be compelled to register, as men are, and whether the draft and draft registration should exist at all.
Oversight
There Have Been Huge Gaps in FBI Hate Crime Data for Years. A New Law Aims to Fix That.
A lack of reliable hate crime data has left authorities with neither a complete understanding of such incidents nor the tools needed to address them, ProPublica reported. A bill Biden just signed will start to address that.
Oversight
Watchdog Warns of Possible Security Weaknesses at Some Federal Prisons
Inmate escapes put communities at risk and increase chances of smuggling contraband into facilities, said the Justice inspector general.
Oversight
VA's Systemic Failures Allowed Alcoholic Doctor to Keep Job While Making Mistakes That Killed Patients
"The consequences were devastating, tragic and deadly," IG says of convicted former VA employee.
Oversight
Committee Advances Bill to Protect IGs from Political Retaliation
The sweeping legislation addresses many issues raised during the Trump administration.
Oversight
Trump Administration Often Denied Separated Parents Chance to Reunite With Their Kids Prior to Deportation, IG Finds
Inconsistent policy from ICE runs counter to claims from top DHS officials.
Oversight
Justice Department Launches New COVID-19 Fraud Task Force
President Biden has been encouraging strong oversight of relief funds.
Oversight
Democratic Lawmakers Urge Biden To Act On Gender-Neutral Federal IDs
The administration promised to allow nonbinary and intersex people to get passports that reflect their gender identities. Rep. Ro Khanna told The 19th an executive order is a “good first step.”
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Brian Miller and Pandemic Oversight
Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss her conversation with the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery and other oversight stories.
Oversight
How America’s Partisan Divide Over Pandemic Responses Played Out in the States
States led by Republican governors generally had higher COVID-19 case and death rates in 2020.
Oversight