Committee’s First Seven Months Captured in Photos
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has worked diligently in the first seven months of the 114th Congress to help eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and to ensure a more transparent, efficient, and accountable federal government.
February 11, 2015
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen testifies at a hearing on federal programs most at risk for waste, mismanagement, fraud, and abuse. The IRS paid approximately $5.8 billion in fraudulent tax refunds in 2013 alone, making it among the riskiest agencies in the federal government, according to the Government Accounting Office.
February 26, 2015
Treasury Inspector General for Taxation Administration J. Russell George and Timothy Camus are sworn in before testifying on the IG investigation into Lois Lerner’s missing emails.
March 4, 2015
Former Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Maure-Eraso is pressed about his mismanagement of the agency and his conflicting previous testimony. A bipartisan group of 15 members of the House Oversight Committee called for his resignation on March 18 and he resigned seven days later. On July 8, Maure-Eraso was referred to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution for making a series of false statements to Congress.
March 18, 2015
Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX) presides over the first Information Technology Subcommittee hearing. Hurd brings a unique perspective on cybersecurity challenges facing the United States, having served in the CIA for nine years.
March 24, 2015
United States Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy testifies on recent security lapses and a potential drunk driving incident that compromised USSS protocol and the security of the White House. A month prior, President Obama named Clancy, a long-time USSS official, as the new director, despite unanimous recommendations from an independent panel of experts to appoint someone from outside the agency.
April 14, 2015
Former Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Michele Leonhart fields questions on mismanagement following reports of gross misconduct by DEA agents and stonewalling Inspector General investigations. Under mounting pressure, Leonhart stepped down as Administrator on April 21.
April 22, 2015
Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) hold a press conference on securing Washington, D.C. airspace, following an April 15 incident in which a gyrocopter flew through restricted airspace and landed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Top law enforcement officials briefed members on the response to the incident and measures to better secure the nation’s capital.
June 8, 2015
Congressman John Mica (R-FL) tours a construction site in New York City, evaluating how efficiently infrastructure projects use federal taxpayer money. Mica serves as chairman for the Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets.
June 24, 2015
Former Office of Personnel Management Administrator Katherine Archuleta testifies on the unprecedented hack that compromised the personal information of over 21 million Americans. President Obama appointed Archuleta to OPM administrator following her role as National Political Director for Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
July 14, 2015
Governor Robert Bentley (R-AL) testifies at a hearing on criminal justice reform. Alabama is one of several states to implement successful criminal justice reform measures.
July 27, 2015
Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) huddles with committee members prior to a press conference where he called on President Obama to remove IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. Koskinen made false statements to Congress and failed to preserve and produce documents relevant to the IRS targeting scandal, despite a congressional subpoena and an internal preservation notice.