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Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery

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Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery
TypeInspector General
NominatorPresident
Constituting instrumentSection 4018 of the CARES Act
Formation2020
Websitewww.sigpr.gov

The Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) is an Inspector General position created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 to oversee spending of government funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The position was included at the insistence of congressional Democrats.[1] The SIGPR is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

The position, as specified in Section 4018 of the CARES Act, is authorized to

conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the making, purchase, management, and sale of loans, loan guarantees, and other investments made by the Secretary of the Treasury under any program established by the Secretary under this Act, and the management by the Secretary of any program established under this Act.[2]

History[edit]

President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law on 27 March 2020, but immediately noted that several stipulations related oversight would be ignored. The White House highlighted the language authorizing "the SIGPR to request information from other government agencies and requires the SIGPR to report to the Congress 'without delay' any refusal of such a request that 'in the judgment of the Special Inspector General' is unreasonable" and stated that the SIGPR would not be allowed to submit reports to Congress without White House supervision.[3] Critics of Trump's stance included Senators Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Jon Tester (D-Mont), who wrote a letter to Trump on 3 April urging compliance with oversight requirements.[4]

Brian Miller[edit]

Brian D. Miller was confirmed to the post of Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery on June 2, 2020.

On 3 April 2020, President Trump indicated that he would nominate Brian D. Miller to be the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. At the time, Miller was a special assistant to Trump and senior associate counsel in the Office of White House Counsel. This raised concerns about his ability to be apolitical; a former assistant U.S. attorney opined, "It’s antithetical to oversight to have someone with a tight connection to the White House. It seems weird to have a White House lawyer play this role."[5] The selection was praised by the Project on Government Oversight, among others, but criticized by Democrats, who noted that Miller, as part of the White House Counsel, defended President Trump during his first impeachment.[6] Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement on April 4 saying that "a member of the president’s own staff is exactly the wrong type of person to choose for this position."[7]

Miller was formally nominated by the Trump administration on 6 April 2020.[8] The U.S. Senate Banking Committee held his confirmation hearing on May 5[9][10] and voted on May 12 to advance his nomination to the full Senate.[11] The Senate confirmed him on June 2.[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Johnson, Martin (28 March 2020). "Trump asserts power to decide what info inspector general gives Congress about stimulus package". The Hill. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Pub.L. 116–136 - Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act" (PDF). govinfo.gov. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Statement by the President". whitehouse.gov. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020 – via National Archives.
  4. ^ Byrnes, Jesse (3 April 2020). "Romney warns Trump: Don't interfere with coronavirus relief oversight". The Hill. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  5. ^ Stein, Jeff (3 April 2020). "Trump announces intent to nominate White House lawyer Brian Miller as inspector general for $2 trillion coronavirus law". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. ^ Werner, Erica (4 April 2020). "Trump's choice for coronavirus inspector general wins praise from some oversight experts as Democrats slam pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ^ Schumer, Chuck (4 April 2020). "Schumer Statement on Nomination of Brian Miller to be Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery | Senate Democratic Leadership". www.democrats.senate.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  8. ^ Rappeport, Alan (7 April 2020). "Trump's Inspector General Has Expressed Dim Views of Congressional Oversight". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  9. ^ Barber, C. Ryan (29 April 2020). "Stage Set for Trump White House Lawyer Brian Miller's Confirmation for Coronavirus Watchdog". National Law Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  10. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Warmbrodt, Zachary (5 May 2020). "Coronavirus watchdog nominee pledges he won't seek Trump's permission to talk to Congress". Politico. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  11. ^ O'Donnell, Katy (12 May 2020). "Trump nominee for pandemic relief watchdog advanced by banking panel". Politico. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  12. ^ Rappeport, Alan (2020-06-02). "Senate Confirms Inspector General to Oversee Virus Bailout Funds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-23.

External links[edit]

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