The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating the Office of Management and Budget for threatening an inspector genera l that if he did not keep quiet regarding slashes in his department's budget "they'd make life miserable for him."  The inspector generals are federal watchdog officials who are supposed to ensure the honesty and integrity of other federal officials. In this case, Patrick McFarland , inspector general of the Office of Personnel Management, received a "not so veiled threat from the OMB" about telling Congress of concerns over its budget. A 2008 federal law allows inspectors general to inform Congress if they believe their proposed budgets would inhibit oversight duties. The law was designed to protect watchdogs from top agency officials that might cut watchdog budgets in retaliation for hard-hitting investigations.The inspector generals watch to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and honestly, that rules are...(Read Full Post)