WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced the formal launch of Oversight.gov – a website that will host thousands of Inspectors General (IG) reports from across the federal government. The launch responds to Heitkamp’s call in her bipartisan bill that would improve the way offices of inspectors general at federal agencies and establishments publicly post recommendations online.

IGs serve as federal watchdogs within government agencies by investigating agencies to promote accountability and provide recommendations to improve government operations and save taxpayer dollars. For the third consecutive year, the IGs identified in their recommendations ways to save over $20 billion in taxpayer dollars. Through the ‘one-stop-shop’ of Oversight.gov, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency will post the findings and recommendations of over 5,000 IG reports so that they are easily searchable to the public.

“We know the critical role inspectors general play in helping prevent and tackle waste, fraud, and abuse – each year they identify recommendations on ways to save billions of taxpayer dollars at federal agencies. By making IG reporting transparent and more accessible online, we are making it easier for taxpayers to stay informed on how their tax dollars are spent,” said Heitkamp. “By publishing thousands of inspectors general reports on one easily searchable website, it will help make sure federal agencies are responsive when waste, fraud, and abuse occurs, and that they are working to address outstanding issues. This action builds off a bipartisan bill I introduced last year requiring inspectors general to post their recommendations online, and since then I’ve been working closely with the IG community to do just that. It’s a good day for taxpayers when their government is more accountable and transparent – and I’ll keep fighting to make that possible.”

This launch follows Heitkamp’s repeated calls for greater transparency and accountability across federal agencies – including in bipartisan legislation she introduced with Republican U.S. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma – with whom she helps lead the Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management Subcommittee Ranking Member within the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security. By requiring the posting of IG recommendations online, their Inspector General Recommendation Transparency Act aimed to help Congress, agencies, and the public keep better tabs on the problems that have been identified at the 73 federal agencies where IGs conduct audits to combat waste, fraud, and abuse – and keep track of whether or not those problems have been resolved.

Since the launch of that bill, Heitkamp met with U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz to discuss ways to improve Congressional oversight of his agency’s recommendations. During the meeting, Heitkamp reinforced how improving the way open recommendations are posted online could motivate agencies to fulfill the recommendations, and help keep Congress better informed about ways to improve operations at federal agencies. Heitkamp and her team have been consistently working with the Office of the Inspector General on ways to implement key elements of her bill to help improve transparency and accountability across the federal government.

In December 2015, Heitkamp helped lead a subcommittee hearing on how federal departments and agencies implement recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the offices of inspectors general. The federal government invests billions of dollars each year so inspectors general can create valuable recommendations for agencies. At the hearing, Inspector General Michael Horowitz testified that for every dollar invested in IGs, there is the potential for $18 in savings for taxpayers, and Heitkamp expressed concern about the need for more transparency and visibility in agencies’ efforts to resolve issues of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement as identified by IGs.

In March 2015, Heitkamp and Lankford launched their #CutRedTape Initiative to gather stories about how federal regulations are impacting Americans across the country every day, and work to improve these regulations by reducing waste, stopping backlogs, and cutting red tape.

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