Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Carol Fortine Ochoa to be inspector general of the General Services Administration. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee favorably reported the nomination on June 24. Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.) made these remarks afterward:
“I congratulate Ms. Ochoa on her confirmation, and look forward to working with her to root out fraud, waste and abuse at the General Services Administration,” said Sen. Johnson. “With Ms. Ochoa’s confirmation, there is one less vacancy in these crucial watchdog positions, but others remain. I will continue working to ensure that we have permanent, independent watchdogs at agencies across the federal government, particularly where we need it most to protect the men and women who serve us in the military. I again call upon the president to take swift action and send Congress a nominee to be the permanent inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
“Inspectors General and their staffs are an essential component of robust government oversight. My Congressional colleagues and I often rely on the work of these offices to help address urgent problems across the government. But in order for the offices of Inspectors General to meet their missions and get results, it is paramount that they have permanent leadership in place,” said Sen. Carper. “It’s long been a top priority of mine to work with the Administration and my colleagues in Congress to ensure our agencies’ Inspectors General have Senate-confirmed leadership in place to help root out waste, fraud, abuse, and help save money for our federal government. Today, I’m glad those of us in the Senate were able to work together in a swift, bipartisan manner to confirm the highly-qualified Carol Ochoa as General Services Administration Inspector General. I congratulate Ms. Ochoa on her confirmation and I thank her for her willingness to serve our nation in this important capacity.”