Congressional Democrats Demand ED Stop Stonewalling Inspector General
WASHINGTON – Following serious concerns raised by the Department of Education (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Congressional Democrats are demanding ED stop stonewalling the OIG and allow the OIG access to information they are legally entitled to regarding the Administration’s effort to dismantle ED.
The letter was sent by Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Acting Ranking Member Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08), House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Ranking Member Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT-03), House Committee on Appropriations, Ranking Member Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Appropriations, and Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
“We have been informed that the Department has withheld numerous documents requested by the OIG based on vague claims that the materials are somehow sensitive, deliberative, or related to unspecified litigation,” said the Members.
The Inspector General Act authorizes the OIG “to have timely access to all records, reports, audits, reviews, documents, papers, recommendations, or other materials available” related to the Department’s “programs and operations.” And in the Inspector General Act, Congress permitted only express exceptions to OIG access, and no “deliberative information” or “information subject to litigation” exceptions to this authority exist – they are simply not recognized in law as valid reasons to withhold information from the OIG.
The Members continued, “the Department cancelled without notice all of OIG’s scheduled interviews with Department staff and now insists on the presence of staff from the Department’s Office of General Counsel (OGC). Our understanding is that such interviews are always conducted without OGC staff present, and this would be an unjustified departure from longstanding practice.”
The Members are insisting the Department fully cooperate with the OIG in accordance with the law and provide Congress a written response providing a date when OIG will receive the materials it requested, when the staff interviews have been scheduled without an OGC presence and outlining its intention to cooperate with the OIG.
To read the full text of the letter, click here.
To read the Inspector Generals’ letter to Congress, click here.
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