Stopping Government Abuses and Holding the Administration Accountable

Floor Speech

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, over four years ago, President Obama asserted that his would be "the most transparent Administration in history.'' Instead, we have seen the Executive Branch act in a manner wholly inconsistent with that statement and take great strides to conceal the truth from public scrutiny. Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve better.

That is why today the House is considering several pieces of legislation aimed at curbing the widespread abuse that we have witnessed in recent years and helping to restore faith in the federal government for hardworking taxpayers across this country. As a senior Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I have been involved with investigating the many scandals that have been reported on throughout the last several months.

As we continue to see in the ongoing investigation of conservatives being targeted for their political beliefs, the Internal Revenue Service, IRS, has failed to act in a fair, nonpartisan, and nondiscriminatory manner. In targeting an individual or group for audits and investigation on the basis of their beliefs--and not a legitimate tax-related purpose--the IRS has weakened its level of trust among both the American public and Congress. That is why I introduced H.R. 1950, the Taxpayer Nondiscrimination and Protection Act of 2013. With over 100 cosponsors and a companion measure in the Senate authored by Senator MARCO RUBIO, this bill is aimed at preventing biased, politically-motivated discrimination and seeks to strengthen taxpayer protections in current law by making such action a crime.

Earlier this year the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also heard from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in which details were exposed of a lavish, taxpayer-funded conference for IRS employees in Anaheim, California. The IRS reported an estimated final cost of $4.1 million for the conference--$3.2 million of which were transferred from the funds appropriated by Congress for salaries, expenses, and personnel. In response to the revelation that taxpayers footed nearly 80% of the tab for this wasteful party, I introduced H.R. 2345, the Stop Internal Resource Slush Fund Act. This bill would address the back-door budgeting used by the IRS and put an end to these government slush funds.

In addition to the deeply troubling actions by the IRS, the Administration remains defiant in what may well be the lasting legacy of President Obama's scandals: the plight of Delphi Salaried Retirees. For over three years, I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to hold the Administration accountable for unjustly terminating the pensions of an estimated 22,000 retirees in the wake of the General Motors bailout.

Both Congress and these hardworking men and women continue to press the Treasury Department, the President's Auto Task Force, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for answers and full and complete disclosure of their actions that have led to tremendous hardship for thousands across the country. Despite bipartisan efforts toward fairness and transparency, the Administration has thus far remained secretive and defiant.

It is my sincere hope that the measures we are considering today, the legislation I have authored, and the ongoing investigations of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will put an end to these government abuses and hold bad actors accountable to the American people.

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