In March 2023, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) called for President Biden to remove Social Security Administration Inspector General Gail Ennis for failing the essential duties of her mission. The office Ennis oversees has issued crushing fines to elderly people, people with disabilities, and those already struggling to make ends meet and allegedly retaliated against whistleblowers alongside other misconduct and mismanagement. However, more than four months after POGO’s letter, Ennis is still at her post, and reports of whistleblower retaliation continue against a backdrop of disfunction.
A failure to address these many issues is an ongoing threat to the nation’s system of oversight, as inspectors general must adhere to the “highest ethical principles.” President Biden must remove Ennis from power. Further, Congress needs to better protect whistleblowers and support inspectors general by making it easier for them to report on waste, fraud, and abuse of power.
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