Tester Statement on Removal of Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery

(Big Sandy, Mont.) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement on the removal of Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Glenn Fine:

“This move is a thumb in the eye to any Montana taxpayer who stands to receive critically-needed financial relief from the $2.2 trillion coronavirus recovery package. The job of the special watchdog is to ensure that money is spent responsibly and transparently—landing in the pockets of the small businesses, workers, and families that need it—and I’m extremely troubled by the abrupt removal of the nonpartisan public servant charged with that oversight.”

Tester recently teamed up with Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney to urge the Trump Administration to ensure aggressive, independent oversight over the $2.2 trillion dollars Congress appropriated for virus relief. The Senators called on President Trump to ensure the independence of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery—a position they worked to create within the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act—and to provide Congress with details about its plans for rigorous oversight after President Trump signaled when signing the bill that he would not allow the position to report to Congress without Presidential supervision.

Visit tester.senate.gov/coronavirusresouces for a list of resources for Montanans during the COVID-19 outbreak.