Deputy inspector general Harold Geisel says sequester has taken away funding for auditors to go and evaluate security at U.S. embassies around the world.
According to the Federal Times, Geisel called attention to this in a letter to Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Shaheen “is investigating the impact of sequester on government watchdog offices.”
Wrote Geisel: “Due to the sequestration cuts, [the Office of Inspector General] is unable to fully fund travel for auditors to evaluate the security posture of a number of high-threat overseas posts.”
He said that the cuts had left the OIG with “limited resources,” which translates into “fewer overseas inspections, or alternatively, the elimination of one larger domestic inspection, as well as diminished capacity to respond to unanticipated requests from senior department officials and Congress.”
Cuts are hitting IG’s across the board–not simply in the State Department. “Overall, IG’s office are being cut by $100 million.”
President Obama signed sequester cuts into law on August 2, 2011.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins
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