WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry, wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspector General Phyllis Fong to gather information about a severe staffing shortage in the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), exacerbated by the Trump Administration's federal hiring freeze.
On February 15, Fong testified before Congress and noted that the OIG has about 40 vacant positions they are unable to fill because of the recent ban on federal hiring. Staffing levels at the OIG are currently at the lowest level in nearly 40 years. Now that the House and Senate are beginning to discuss the next Farm Bill, the OIG will play an important role in assisting Congress in this debate.
"Given the important work of the OIG in fighting against waste, fraud, and abuse in order to save valuable taxpayer money, I am concerned about these vacancies," Stabenow wrote. "Leaving the OIG short-handed could very well put American families at risk."
The full text of the letter and questions for Fong's response are below.
February 22, 2017
Dear Inspector General Fong,
Last week you testified before Congress that the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has some 40 vacant positions that you are now unable to fill because of the hiring freeze recently put in place by the Trump Administration. You testified that the staffing levels at the OIG are the lowest they’ve been since 1978. Given the important work of your office in fighting against waste, fraud, and abuse in order to save valuable taxpayer money, I am concerned about these vacancies and I write to seek additional detail of the implications of these vacancies.
As you know, the OIG is indispensable in making sure the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs operate efficiently and effectively. Among other important functions, the OIG also plays a vital role in ensuring that USDA properly protects the nation’s food supply by investigating potential threats to food safety, bioterrorism, cybersecurity, and emergency response. Leaving the OIG short-handed could very well put American families at risk. Additionally, the House and Senate are now beginning the debate on the next farm bill. The OIG should play an important role in assisting Congress in this debate.
To better understand the effects of this staffing shortage, I ask that you provide written responses to the following questions no later than March 8th:
1. Describe the impact of the hiring freeze on the work of the OIG. Will the OIG have to delay or not initiate reports, investigations, or other work due to the hiring freeze?
2. Please provide a description of the 40 positions that remain unfilled at OIG. Do you have any authority to fill any of these positions under the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze? If so, please identify those positions, including area of responsibility and agencies potentially impacted.
3. Does the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze leave you unable to fill any OIG positions related to food safety, bioterrorism, cybersecurity, and emergency response? If so, have any investigations or audits on these issues been slowed or stopped because of the hiring freeze?
4. Have you requested an exemption to the hiring freeze to fill any of the open positions? If so, what was the result of your request for an exemption? Please provide any explanation given to your exemption request.
5. If the hiring freeze were lifted, would you have the resources to fill the vacant positions?
Thank you for your prompt considerations of these questions.
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