NCJ Number
69669
Date Published
1979
Length
35 pages
Annotation
The Senate subcommittee examined the failure of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Agency for International Development (AID) to support investigative auditing programs mandated by Congress.
Abstract
Although both agencies have established Inspector General (IG) Offices, their annual reports for fiscal 1979 stated that these departments leaked the budget or resources to discharge their responsibilities. This not only contradicts directives of the Inspector's General bill, but the media has disclosed incidents of fraud and waste in programs conducted by DOE and AID. A prepared statement submitted by the Deputy Secretary of DOE explained the rationale for reducing the IG's staff and commented that many departmental programs had been audited by the General Accounting Office without finding significant levels of fraud or abuse. A representative from the IG's office then described that department's activities, but stated that the staff of 100 people was too small to cover most DOE programs or initiate investigations of suspected abuses. Other DOE officials responded to questions from committee members which were critical of staffing level policies. Testimony from the administrator of AID endorsed the need for an aggressive Auditor General and described actions taken to increase the office's independence, expand audit and inspection activities, and raise the staff level to 179. He also noted that the AID Auditor General lacked certain powers, such as subpoena authority. The AID Auditor General confirmed his belief, as stated in the annual report, that the audit and investigative staff was probably inadequate to assure management that all AID programs were reasonably free from fraud, error, or corruption. Witnesses from AID were queried by committee members on types and numbers of AID audits, problems in investigating programs in West Africa, and audits of the Public Law 480 food programs.