Press Releases

Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Darrell Issa today asked the federal agencies featured in a critical government audit to account for the hundreds of federal employees on paid leave for a year or more. “Each agency handles administrative leave on its own terms in the absence of clear guidance that should apply to everyone,” Grassley said.  “The result is employees’ getting paid to stay home, sometimes for more than a year, while management looks the other ...

“The Federal Reserve Board is the primary supervisor and regulator of bank holding companies and state-chartered banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. In the course of its investigation of Operation Choke Point, the Committee has learned that federal regulators are pressuring banks to terminate relationships with legal yet disfavored industries, without regard to the legitimacy or risk profile of individual companies.”

WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley and Congressman Darrell Issa are again pushing the U.S. Department of Justice to be forthcoming about yet another gun found at the scene of a shooting in Arizona and connected to the ill-advised gunwalking strategy known as Operation Fast and Furious. The shooting occurred at a Phoenix apartment complex and left two individuals wounded.  Grassley and Issa learned of the gun from documents obtained through a request under ...

“At a September 30, 2014, hearing titled ‘White House Perimeter Breach: New Concerns about the Secret Service,’ Secret Service Director Julia Pierson testified before the Committee in an open session, followed by a closed session. During the hearing, Committee Members expressed bipartisan apprehension about a series of dangerous security breaches over the past several years, as well as troubling reports involving protocol failures, technology lapses, training reductions, and internal ...

“Only Congress does, and should, have the authority to determine the law when it comes to whistleblowing. Agencies have a clear conflict of interest. Giving them the power to define on their own what information is exempt from whistleblower protections would be like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. It would sacrifice one of the most important means of uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse,” Grassley said.

“Problems at the Secret Service pre-date Ms. Pierson’s tenure as director, and her resignation certainly does not resolve them. Yesterday, the Committee called for an outside review by independent experts. Today, Homeland Security Jeh Johnson agreed that such a review is critical. The Oversight Committee will continue to examine clear and serious agency failures at the Secret Service that have been exposed. While serious questions surround the Secret Service, Director Pierson served ...

Today, a bipartisan group of members of Congress highlighted a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on federal agencies’ efforts to consolidate their data centers and achieve cost savings. The GAO report found that 19 of the 24 agencies participating in the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative reported an estimated $1.1 billion in cost savings between ...

“Eric Holder is the most divisive U.S. Attorney General in modern history and, in a vote supported by 17 Democratic House Members, has the dubious historic distinction of being the first Attorney General held in criminal contempt by the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Chairman Issa. “Time and again, Eric Holder administered justice as the political activist he describes himself as instead of an unbiased law enforcement official. By needlessly injecting politics into law enforcement, ...

“The recent intrusion of an individual into the White House is the latest in a string of high profile incidents for the Secret Service. These significant security breaches reveal our weaknesses as well as our response capabilities to our nation’s enemies. I look forward to hearing from Secret Service Director Pierson, in light of scandals ranging from the Salahis to Cartagena, about what steps the agency is taking under her leadership to improve security and put an end to dangerous ...

"The American people deserve the opportunity to hear Lois Lerner’s testimony under oath,” said Chairman Issa. “If Lerner had nothing to hide and did nothing wrong in the IRS targeting scandal, she would have chosen to answer basic questions about her conduct instead of obstructing Congress’ investigation. Her decision to make unsubstantiated claims to a media outlet while claiming Fifth Amendment protections from answering Congress’ questions is telling. She appears to have great ...