On April 1, additional Inspectors General (IG) were appointed to join the committee coordinating oversight of federal funds used for coronavirus response. The announcement was made by Michael E. Horowitz, Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), and and Glenn A. Fine, Chair of CIGIE’s Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC).
The new PRAC members are:
- Mitchell L. Behm, Acting Inspector General, Department of Transportation
- Mark Bialek, Inspector General, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Kathy A. Buller, Inspector General, Peace Corps
- Rae Oliver Davis, Inspector General, Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General, Department of Agriculture
- Susan S. Gibson, Inspector General, National Reconnaissance Office
- Allison C. Lerner, Inspector General, National Science Foundation
- Jay N. Lerner, Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Paul K. Martin, Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Tammy L. Whitcomb, Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service
- Special Inspector General for Pandemic Oversight (when nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate)
In addition, Inspector General Martin was named as the Committee’s Vice Chair. Mr. Martin has served as Inspector General at NASA for the past 10 years and prior to that served at the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General for 12 years, the last 7 as Deputy Inspector General.
These Inspectors General, who were designated as members of the PRAC pursuant to Section 15010 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), oversee agencies that will disburse funds made available under the CARES Act or are otherwise involved in the Coronavirus response.
Today’s designated Inspectors General join the PRAC alongside Mr. Fine and 8 other Inspectors General specifically identified as PRAC members by the CARES Act:
- Sandra D. Bruce, Acting Inspector General, Department of Education
- Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security
- Scott S. Dahl, Inspector General, Department of Labor
- Richard K. Delmar, Acting Inspector General, Department of the Treasury
- J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
- Christi A. Grimm, Acting Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services
- Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General, Department of Justice
- Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General, Small Business Administration
Consistent with the CARES Act, all Inspectors General serving on the Committee will continue to perform their Inspector General duties.
“This additional group of Inspectors General brings a wide range of expertise to the Committee. Working closely with all 75 Federal Inspectors General, the Committee will seek to ensure that the funds intended to support individuals, workers, healthcare professionals, businesses and others affected by the pandemic are used efficiently, effectively, and in accordance with the law,” said PRAC Chair Fine.
The CARES Act provides over $2 trillion in emergency federal spending to address the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, and establishes the PRAC and several other oversight mechanisms to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the use of these funds.
The PRAC will promote transparency and support independent oversight of the funds provided by the CARES Act and two prior emergency spending bills, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. In addition to its oversight responsibilities, the PRAC is tasked with supporting efforts to “prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement [and] mitigate major risks that cut across program and agency boundaries.”
