WASHINGTON, DC -- After President Donald Trump announced his intent to elevate one of his own lawyers to be the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) and oversee a coronavirus bailout fund, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a senior member of the Banking Committee, issued the following statement:

“This is a critical oversight position that requires an independent, apolitical professional, not a White House lawyer.

“We are facing an unprecedented crisis, but we shouldn’t allow this president, or any Administration, to hand out hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money to corporations without vigorous, independent oversight.

“President Trump already signaled that he will try to ignore key provisions of the law, and nominating Mr. Miller, who is now viewed as a partisan advocate for the President, is a step in the wrong direction and a setback from meaningful accountability.

“Taxpayers deserve transparency, and I will do everything I can to ensure people have the facts; and that those responsible for distributing these funds do so in a manner that is open and accountable to the American people.

“I helped include multiple layers of spending oversight in the CARES Act.  The law includes a bipartisan five-member congressional oversight commission, as well as a committee of current federal inspectors general, and those panels are important, but the SIGPR job is really critical.

“The onus is on Mr. Miller to show true independence but his removal from the position under a new administration would be fully appropriate.  Good government and the public’s interest come first and presidents of any party must nominate highly-qualified people who are truly independent to such critical posts.”