Trump administration’s ‘serial IG purges’ fuel calls for anti-corruption provisions in next COVID-19 package

Sen. Richard Blumenthal pointed on Sunday to President Donald Trump’s intention to oust another inspector general—this time of a Department of Health and Human Services watchdog—to bolster his call for the next coronavirus legislative relief package to include measures to “forestall fraud and favoritism.”

Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Reps. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), unveiled the details of their proposal to congressional leadership on Friday, urging them to “include strong oversight, accountability, and anti-corruption provisions in any upcoming legislation to provide economic aid, relief, recovery, or stimulus in response to COVID-19 in order to safeguard taxpayer funds and to bolster Americans’ faith in government to respond to this crisis.”

Blumenthal also gave a rundown of the provisions Saturday on Twitter: Continue reading.