Gillibrand Amendment to Save Taxpayer Money Signed Into Law

Press Release

Last week, President Bush signed into law the Improving Government Accountability Act (H.R. 928), which included an amendment sponsored by local Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand that mandates that Inspectors General of federal agencies be more transparent in their finding of waste, fraud and abuse.

"We are all too familiar with the waste, fraud and abuse that has occurred in recent years," said Congresswoman Gillibrand. "We must never let this happen again - no matter who is in charge - and this bill will shine the bright light of transparency on government actions in the future."

Specifically, Rep. Gillibrand's amendment requires the Inspector General of each agency to post all reports or audits on the website of the Office of the Inspector General so that the public and press can read them and make judgments for themselves.

"Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent and how decisions are being made by their Federal Government," said Congresswoman Gillibrand. "For too long we have been subject to the ‘trust us' message from government, it is time for the American public to know exactly what they are getting from their tax dollars."

Inspectors General investigate fraud, waste and abuse in federal agencies. Last year, Inspectors General resulted in $9.9 billion in potential savings from audit recommendations and $6.8 billion in investigative recoveries. There are 58 Inspector General Offices, and they are placed in every major federal agency.

Congresswoman Gillibrand has taken unprecedented steps to make her office accountable and transparent to her constituents. She is the only Member of Congress to post her schedule online every day, list all her earmark requests she made on behalf of the district online, and voluntarily post her personal financial disclosure statement on her Congressional website.

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