Who are the Inspectors General and what do they do?

There is one group of federal officials whose job it is to discover fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the government, and to encourage efficient and effective operations. This is the US inspector general, a nonpartisan role that reports to both congress and to the agency where they work. In a new book from the Brookings Institution Press titled U.S. Inspectors General: Truth Tellers in Turbulent Times, authors Charles Johnson and Kathryn Newcomer explore the strategic environment in which IGs operate and explain how these public servants do their work.

Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Dean Emeritus of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. Newcomer is a professor at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University.

Also on today’s program, Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds tells us what’s happening in Congress. No surprise that it’s impeachment, but she’ll explain what could happen in the Senate should impeachment of the president be affirmed in the House.

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