Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, released the following statement after the announcement that Steve Linick has been nominated to be the State Department Inspector General.

“I am pleased that President Obama nominated an Inspector General for the State Department. Mr. Linick has an extensive investigatory background and he already has relevant experience as the Inspector General overseeing the Federal Housing Finance Agency.” Mr. Engel went on to say, “the Inspector General is the last line of defense against waste, fraud and abuse at the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. I urge my Senate colleagues to consider Mr. Linick’s nomination without delay.”

In February, Representative Engel and Chairman Ed Royce sent the President a letter requesting that he nominate a permanent inspector general. They also authored a resolution that was unanimously approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday stating the need to fill the position. There has not been a permanent inspector general since January 2008, which is the longest vacancy among inspectors general in the entire federal government. The letter to the President is available HERE and the resolution is available HERE.

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Letter to the President
Resolution