FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2023
Washington, DC

CONTACT:
Andrew Cannarsa
Executive Director
(202) 292-2603

Federal Inspector General Community Commemorates 45 Years of Independent Oversight

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) this month commemorates the 45^th anniversary of the passage of the Inspector General Act of 1978.

President Jimmy Carter signed the bipartisan legislation into law on October 12, 1978, at the time establishing 12 presidentially appointed inspectors general (IGs) in Federal departments and agencies to provide independent oversight and promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness throughout the Federal government. Upon signing the IG Act into law, President Carter described these new IGs as “perhaps the most important new tools in the fight against fraud.”

In the 45 years since the IG Act’s passage, Federal Offices of the Inspector General (OIG) have turned President’s Carter’s vision into reality. Today, there are 74 independent OIGs and over 14,000 OIG employees working to oversee Federal operations and detect and prevent fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct throughout Federal programs. In Fiscal Year 2022, the Federal OIG community’s audit and investigative work identified potential savings to Federal programs and operations totaling over $70 billion. For every $1 invested in OIGs through annual appropriations, OIGs generated $20 in potential Federal savings.

“Forty-five years later, the IG community continues to fulfill its promise of protecting Federal dollars from fraud, waste, and abuse,” said the Honorable Mark Lee Greenblatt, CIGIE Chairperson and Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior. “Federal IGs have benefitted from bipartisan congressional support throughout our history, and we look forward to building on those relationships to protect IG independence and deliver objective oversight for the American public.”

“Inspectors General have had a profound impact on the U.S. Government, and their independent oversight improves Federal programs,” said Tammy L. Hull, CIGIE Vice Chairperson and Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service. “The IG Act’s anniversary reminds us to reflect on what the IG community has accomplished and also look ahead to a future of continued stewardship and accountability in the Federal government.” 

For additional information, please contact Andrew Cannarsa, Executive Director, CIGIE, at (202) 292-2603, or andrew.cannarsa@cigie.gov.

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The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) is an independent entity established within the executive branch to address integrity, economy and effectiveness issues that transcend individual government agencies and aid in the establishment of a professional, well-trained and highly skilled workforce in the Offices of Inspectors General.  For more information about CIGIE and the Inspector General community, please visit https://www.ignet.gov/.  To find and read reports from the federal Inspectors General, please visit https://oversight.gov and follow @OversightGov on Twitter. For information on actions by Inspectors General concerning the pandemic visit https://www.pandemicoversight.gov/.