Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Alexander Hamilton
Audits may not seem like glamorous work, but they are worth celebrating when the result is billions of tax dollars saved. The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency recently hosted an awards ceremony for federal agency watchdogs, at which some important numbers were announced.
Inspectors general in the U.S. government recovered more than $8.9 billion in federal funds in fiscal 2009. They also found $44 billion in potential savings—which was more than double from the previous year.
In addition, IG investigations resulted in 5,900 successful criminal prosecutions and 4,485 suspensions or other punishments for individuals or contractors who misused taxpayer money.
The evening’s top prize, known as the Alexander Hamilton Award, went to a group of auditors from the Department of Defense who investigated the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Watchdogs Honor Their Own (by Ed O’Keefe, Washington Post)
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