HHS IG nominee pledges to support Trump’s initiatives
The nominee for inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services has pledged to support the Trump administration’s agenda, marking an unusual statement from a nominee for a role that is considered independent.
“If confirmed as inspector general I will examine, evaluate, audit, and investigate to support the initiatives of President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Robert] Kennedy,” Thomas March Bell wrote as part of written testimony prepared for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance today.
Bell is a lawyer and former Senate staffer who also served as chief of staff for the HHS Office of Civil Rights during the first Trump administration.
In his written testimony, Bell highlighted specific challenges with fraud, waste and abuse at HHS.
He wrote that the “traditional tools” of an IG are “well known,” pointing to independence and transparency, being “tough but fair when making evaluations,” and producing “timely materials without compromising quality with clear accessible reports and regular communication.”
“But the current challenges will require more than this list – the Office of the Inspector General must help explain what is actually going on and provide actionable information in support of the president’s and secretary’s courageous and innovative change of direction for the improved health of all Americans,” Bell continued.
An IG nominee’s pledge of support for a President and cabinet secretary’s agenda raises questions about Bell’s ability to remain independent, Faith Williams, director of the Effective and Accountable Government Program at the Project on Government Oversight, told Federal News Network.
“It is not the job of an inspector general to provide actionable information and support of anybody’s agenda,” Williams said.
Mark Greenblatt, former inspector general of the Interior Department, said IGs are meant to be “policy neutral.” Greenblatt was among 17 inspectors general who were fired at the outset of the second Trump administration.
“His language about supporting the president’s policy agenda is at odds with the independent nature of the IG position,” Greenblatt said.
Bell was not asked about the specifics of his written statement during today’s hearing. But Senate Finance Committee Democrats have called his nomination unlawful, arguing Trump illegally fired the previous HHS IG.
And in an Oct. 28 letter, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) raised questions about Bell’s history and his “ability to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in a manner that does not favor any ideological or political agenda.”
Bell’s nomination comes amid continued questions about the independence of IGs under the Trump administration. Trump has continued his purge of government watchdog leaders, with his firing last week of Parisa Salehi, the inspector general at the Export-Import Bank.
Trump has also nominated IGs with unusually political backgrounds, including John Walk, a political appointee at the Agriculture Department, to serve as Agriculture’s inspector general. And former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) was picked by Trump to be watchdog at the Labor Department.
D’Espositio’s nomination drew some scrutiny from Republicans, but the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced his nomination along a 12-11 party line vote earlier this month.
“I just wanted to say on the record that I’m going to be looking to make sure that he executes his new responsibilities with the unbiased nature that he has committed to,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said before voting to confirm D’Esposito.
But Williams noted that none of Trump’s other nominees have gone as far as Bell in pledging support for the president’s initiatives. His statement “doesn’t lend confidence to the idea that the President still supports a system of independent inspectors general,” she said.
“I would very much hope this statement and in general Bell’s ability to be independent will be questioned by senators on both sides of the aisle,” Williams said.
Greenblatt argued Bell’s statement is a “blinking neon sign saying ‘I’m not fit for an IG position.’” Bell could still face questions before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which often holds hearings for IGs across government.
“The tone of that language in his opening statement suggest that the American public should be concerned that he’s going to put a thumb on the scale in favor of certain policy outcomes,” Greenblatt said. “That’s a five-alarm fire in the IG community.”The post HHS IG nominee pledges to support Trump’s initiatives first appeared on Federal News Network.
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