July 14,2004

Grassley on the Health and Human Services Inspector General Candidate

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Reporters and Editors
RE: HHS Inspector General
DA: July 14, 2004

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, issued the following comment about the announcement that Daniel Levinson will be nominated to serve as inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services. The committee will make plans for considering the nomination after nomination papers are received from the administration.

"This position has been vacant for more than a year. I appreciate the good work that's been done under the acting leadership of Dara Corrigan, but it's very important that a permanent inspector general be put in place. The Department of Health and Human Services handles $530 billion a year in spending. Every dollar that's lost to waste, fraud and abuse is a dollar that does not go to health care services. The inspector general is the watchdog for both taxpayers and beneficiaries. I look forward to leading Finance Committee consideration of the candidate for this important job asquickly as possible upon receipt of the nomination."