— OPINION —

Federal Offices of Inspector’s General (OIGs) provide the vital role of:

• OIGs conduct investigations and reviews to oversee the financial health, safety, and efficiency of their agencies. 
• OIGs work to prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, and mismanagement. 
• OIGs promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in their agencies’ operations and programs. 

On Friday night the Trump Administration  put the oversight of the government’s largest agencies in limbo, as the Senate-confirmed OIG watchdogs at the departments of Defense, State, Transportation, Labor, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Energy, Commerce, Treasury and Agriculture, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Administration and the Social Security Administration were ousted.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigates allegations of misconduct, fraud, and other violations involving the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The OIG also reviews legislation and regulations and makes recommendations to Congress and the Secretary of Agriculture. 

Following the history of serious food safety noncompliances at Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, VA, facility, which led to a fatal listeriosis outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General (USDA’s OIG) has launched an internal investigation into the agency’s handling o...