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Congressman Krishnamoorthi: Inspector General’s Investigation Into FEMA Administrator Brock Long Reaffirms Need For Greater Oversight

September 13, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement in response to reports that Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long is the subject of an ongoing Department of Homeland Security inspector general's investigations into whether he misused government vehicles for personal commutes:

"Today's report that FEMA Administrator Brock Long is under an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general for potentially misusing government vehicles on trips to North Carolina is concerning but not nearly as surprising as it should be. While I'm glad to see that the senior leadership of the Department of Homeland Security has treated this matter with proper seriousness through initiating a formal investigation, this administration has a long and sordid history of failing to address ethical violations in a timely manner. Now the DHS Inspector General must devote time and resources to an investigation that could have been avoided if Administrator Long had simply followed the rules. As the people of the Carolinas brace for a deadly hurricane, Inspectors General should be spending their time making sure that resources are being used for disaster relief.

Given the depth of ongoing scandals involving misuse of government funds, it is long past time for Congress to provide oversight to the executive branch. Instead, we have a Congress that is more than willing to overlook scandal after scandal, including those that put lives at risk. FEMA resources do not exist to underwrite extravagant lifestyles, but to save lives during disasters. The American People deserve a thorough accounting of how resources were misused and if this had an effect on any disaster recovery operations."