Grassley, Crawford Introduce Bill to Provide Intelligence Community Inspector General with Critical Law Enforcement Authorities

Grassley, Crawford Introduce Bill to Provide Intelligence Community Inspector General with Critical Law Enforcement Authorities

WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) introduced the Intelligence Community Inspector General Parity Act of 2026. The legislation provides the Intelligence Community Inspector General (IC IG) with critical law enforcement authorities to more effectively carry out its mission to identify fraud, waste and mismanagement across the IC.

Currently, the IC IG is hindered by the office's inability to build a criminal case against those in the IC accused of wrongdoing. Typically, an IG would prepare an entire investigative case, leveraging key law enforcement authorities - such as subpoenas, seeking and executing arrest warrants - and submit that case to the Department of Justice for further action.

"Inspectors general shouldn't have to operate with one hand tied behind their backs. It's common sense that the Intelligence Community Inspector General ought to receive the same law enforcement authority as the other cabinet-level watchdogs. Our legislation closes this loophole so the Intel IG can conduct effective oversight of the intelligence community, including criminal violations," Grassley said.

"The classified environment can provide wrongdoers a false sense of security in their ability to skirt oversight. This overdue, common-sense bill will allow the Intelligence Community's Inspector General to enforce a culture of accountability where wrongdoers can no longer hide behind the veil of classification. The IC IG serves as the critical watchdog of the Intelligence Community, tasked with independently investigating fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct, and must be set up for success. I am grateful to Senator Grassley for his leadership on this critical effort in the Senate," Crawford said.

Background:

The classified nature of the Intelligence Community's work presents significant obstacles to building the comprehensive cases the DOJ needs to act. This is a significant factor for DOJ declining to investigate over 75% of the cases referred to them by the IC IG.

This legislation would put the IC IG on par with the IGs who have federal law enforcement authorities from other agencies, including the Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Agency for International Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, General Services Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Personnel Management, Railroad Retirement Board, Small Business Administration, Social Security Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Read full text of the bill HERE.

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