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June 06, 2019

Chairman Thompson: DHS OIG Must Restore Confidence in its Work

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General’s (DHS OIG) retraction of reports that inaccurately painted FEMA’s disaster response efforts in a favorable light.

“The Office of the Inspector General is usually a reliable resource in ensuring DHS is performing adequately and using American taxpayer dollars appropriately. But the fact that OIG released more than a dozen reports that failed to fully hold the Department to account is worrisome. With the retraction of a report in 2017, and then the further retraction of another 12 last year, this is at least the second time during the Trump Administration that the independence of this OIG has been brought into question.”  

“We rely on OIG for fact-based products that are invaluable in conducting oversight, and these reports did not meet that standard. It is now the responsibility of OIG to fully restore confidence in its work. We will continue to monitor the OIG’s progress upholding its standards and hope to continue to be able to use its work to inform the Committee’s oversight.”

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Media contact: Adam Comis at (202) 225-9978