Harris Remarks at Oversight Hearing on the Department of Agriculture's Office of the Inspector General

I want to welcome everyone to this oversight hearing with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General. As we prepare for the fiscal year 2027 process, it’s essential that we hear from the Office of the Inspector General to understand OIG’s priorities for the coming year, and how this Subcommittee’s oversight role can support those efforts.

I want to welcome our witnesses today:

• Mr. John Walk, Inspector General, who is accompanied by:
• Ms. Nicole Gardner, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations; and,
• Ms. Yarisis Rivera-Rojas, Acting Assistant Inspector General for Audit.

Mr. Walk, you were recently sworn in as the new IG for USDA, so I want to congratulate you on this new role, and I look forward to hearing your testimony today.

USDA administers more than $200 billion in taxpayer funds through its various programs that assist farmers, ranchers, rural communities and provide nutritious food for low-income populations. We appreciate the crucial independent oversight OIG performs over all USDA programs and operations. Your agency serves as an important check over USDA actions and decisions and ensures that USDA, as well as those who might implement USDA programs, are held accountable to Congress and the American taxpayers. 

This administration has made it a top priority to root out waste, fraud, and abuse across the entire federal government, and OIG plays a critical role in these efforts.

Mr. Walk, I’m glad that you and I had a chance to discuss my concerns with Maryland’s SNAP payment error rate that was recently reported in The Baltimore Sun, alleging that State officials intentionally left payment errors unaddressed in order to delay facing legal penalties. I appreciate your commitment to looking into these allegations for any appropriate actions, including any potential criminal actions. If States are found to be willfully neglecting their duty to address SNAP payment errors, they must be held accountable.   

In addition to nutrition program oversight, OIG has a responsibility to ensure that USDA is properly administering crop insurance and farm programs; that lending programs as well as grants and cooperative agreements are executed according to program rules; that USDA continues to protect plant and animal health and the domestic food supply; and that proper financial management and cybersecurity protections are in place. I am sure many of these topics will be covered today.

Again, I appreciate you being with us and look forward to today’s discussion. I’ll now turn to my colleague, Ranking Member Bishop, for his opening remarks.