It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. 

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters


WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE INSPECTORS GENERAL
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

In less than two months, President Donald Trump has fired two inspectors general overseeing major government agencies or directorates: the IG for the intelligence community and, last week, the IG for the State Department. In that same time, another three acting IGs — for Transportation, Defense, and Health and Human Services — were moved aside in favor of other people for their posts.

Those moves have raised concerns on Capitol Hill ([link removed]) . It’s a good time to lay out what we know about the role of IGs in our sizable government.

The basics
* There are 73 IGs, each of them tasked with overseeing an agency or significant division of government.
* That’s a healthy percentage of the entire government, which has between 118 and 305 agencies, depending on how you define “agency” (according to the federal government’s Sourcebook of United States Government Agencies ([link removed]) ).
* The position was created by the Inspector General Act of 1978, which established a dozen initial OIGs, or Offices of Inspector General, in key agencies.

Who appoints and oversees the IGs?
* Roughly half of all IGs are appointed by the president and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
* The remainder are appointed by the top official in their agency.
* They are connected as part of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, or CIGIE ([link removed]) , which is an independent government group representing all IGs.

What are their powers?
* IGs have independent power to launch investigations and hear internal complaints inside the agencies they oversee.
* They generally have the power to obtain or review any internal document.
* They report their findings to Congress and the public.

Can the president remove an IG at will?
* IGs do serve at the pleasure of the president (or appropriate agency head), but under the law, Congress is supposed to be notified at least 30 days before removal and provide rationale for the removal.
* In the case of State Department IG Steve Linick, the president wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi ([link removed]) and Congress stating the IG had lost his full confidence.
* However, the statute overseeing the State Department IG ([link removed]) specifically states that “neither the Secretary of State nor any other officer of the State Department” shall prohibit the IG from carrying out an investigation.
* Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are raising this clause in questioning whether the firing of Linick, who they say was investigating the secretary of state himself, was legal.

Past presidents and firing IGs
* President Barack Obama fired the IG ([link removed]) responsible for oversight of national service programs, including Americorps, in 2009.
* President Ronald Reagan ([link removed]) removed 13 IGs and another two acting IGs on his inauguration day.

WHAT 74 BIDEN STAFFERS THINK ABOUT TARA READE'S ALLEGATIONS
By Daniel Bush (@DanielBush ([link removed]) ), Senior political reporter, and Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews ([link removed]) ), Correspondent

Over his decades-long career in the Senate, former Vice President Joe Biden was known as a demanding but fair and family-oriented boss, devoted to his home life in Delaware and committed to gender equality in his office.

He was not on a list of “creepy” male senators that female staffers told each other to avoid in the elevators on Capitol Hill.

Yet Biden, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was also a toucher, seemingly oblivious to whether physical contact made some women uncomfortable. That behavior has persisted in recent years. Biden is now facing fresh scrutiny after a former aide in March charged that he sexually assaulted her when she worked in his Senate office in the early 1990s, an allegation Biden has categorically denied.

The PBS NewsHour spoke with 74 former Biden staffers, of whom 62 were women, in order to get a broader picture of his behavior toward women over the course of his career, how they see the new allegation, and whether there was evidence of a larger pattern. READ THE FULL STORY ([link removed])

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Alex D’Elia, @AlexDEliaNews ([link removed])
Politics production assistant

Intelligence chief reduces size of counterterrorism office ([link removed]) -- May 15. The center that was created in the wake of 9/11 will see about 15 percent of its workforce cut. Why it matters: Some Congressional Democrats are concerned that the acting director of national intelligence pushed through the changes without consulting them to ensure the reductions don’t hinder the office’s efficacy. -- The New York Times

The Energy 202: Public hearings on Zoom have Native Americans worried they won't be heard on oil projects ([link removed]) -- May 18. The Trump administration is holding virtual public hearings to move forward with oil and gas projects on public lands. Why it matters: Many Native American groups lack consistent internet access and worry that their opposition to projects set to take place on culturally significant land will not be heard. -- The Washington Post

Coronavirus could push Social Security to insolvency before 2030 ([link removed]) -- May 17. The economic impact of COVID-19 has escalated the government’s previous projection that the program would run out of money by 2035. Why it matters: The destiny of the program will have severe, tangible implications, as it covers an estimated 178 million workers. -- POLITICO

Trump administration waives environmental safeguards to fast-track 69 miles of border fence construction ([link removed]) -- May 16. The move brings Trump closer to fulfilling his election-year goal of building 450 additional miles of border wall by the end of 2020. Why it matters: Groups that oppose construction in the region criticize the timing and say that it would be a “death sentence for jaguars in the United States ([link removed]) ,” while DHS Secretary Chad Wolf says ([link removed]) the wall is essential to fighting the coronavirus. -- The Texas Tribune

E.P.A. Opts Against Limits on Water Contaminant Tied to Fetal Damage ([link removed]) -- May 14. In 2011, the Obama administration moved to regulate perchlorate, a chemical found in rocket fuel, among other uses, but the Defense Department and military contractors have fought that decision. Why it matters: Perchlorate contamination is widespread and has been linked to fetal and infant brain damage, as well as thyroid problems in adults. -- The New York Times

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke ([link removed])
Politics producer

On this day in 1925, a famous civil rights leader was born. In honor of his birthday, some cities, states and the District of Columbia hold local events to commemorate his legacy.

Our question: Who is that civil rights leader?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Which U.S. president visited Cuba in 2002 (and met with Cuba’s president, Fidel Castro)?

The answer: Jimmy Carter

Congratulations to our winner: Priscilla R. Smith!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week.
[link removed]
P.S. We wanted to let you know about our new original podcast series: America, Interrupted. It’s about all of the ways the coronavirus is changing our daily lives. Check it out on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.

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