Statement from PRAC Chair Michael E. Horowitz on OLC Opinion on Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Oversight Jurisdiction

Summary

A Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) press release with a statement from PRAC Chair Michael E. Horowitz on an opinion of the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). The release states that the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) sought the opinion on whether its oversight jurisdiction extended to two CARES Act programs that the Treasury Inspector General was already overseeing, and that the OLC opinion concluded SIGPR's legal authority does not extend to those two programs. It states the opinion does not limit PRAC's authority to oversee roughly $5.5 trillion in pandemic-related emergency spending. It reports nearly 200 oversight reports and criminal charges in over 300 pandemic-related cases and over 84 convictions.

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<Press Release>

Statement from PRAC Chair Michael E. Horowitz on OLC Opinion on Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Oversight Jurisdiction

Earlier this year, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) sought a legal opinion from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) to determine whether SIGPR’s oversight jurisdiction extended to two programs created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) over which the Inspector General for the Department of the Treasury (Treasury OIG) was already conducting oversight. The OLC opinion concluded, after reviewing the CARES Act’s statutory language and legislative history, that SIGPR’s legal authority does not extend to those two additional programs. The OLC opinion does not affect or limit in any way the Treasury OIG’s continuing oversight of those two, and all other, Treasury programs. It also does not affect or limit in any way the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee’s (PRAC) authority to conduct oversight of the entire roughly $5.5 trillion in pandemic-related emergency spending.

PRAC Chair Michael E. Horowitz stated: "The public can rest assured that the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee and the Treasury Inspector General will continue to conduct robust, aggressive, and independent oversight over all pandemic-related spending, including the two programs covered by the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel opinion."

To date, PRAC member Inspectors General have issued nearly 200 pandemic-related oversight reports and our investigations have resulted in criminal charges being filed in over 300 pandemic-related cases and over 84 convictions. Read these reports , and see detailed information on how the nearly $5.5 trillion in pandemic-related funds are being spent.

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The PRAC was established by the CARES Act to promote transparency and support independent oversight of the funds provided by the CARES Act and other related emergency spending bills. In addition to its coordination and oversight responsibilities, the PRAC is tasked with supporting efforts to “prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement [and] mitigate major risks that cut across program and agency boundaries.”

If you have additional questions, please contact Lisa Reijula at lisa.reijula@cigie.gov

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