Pandemic Response Accountability Committee

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See also: Appointment and removal power (administrative state)

Section 15010 of the CARES Act established a Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). According to the act, the PRAC is supposed "to promote transparency and ... prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement; and mitigate major risks that cut across program and agency boundaries."[1] This page covers the organization and responsibilities of the PRAC.

Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) is an independent entity within the executive branch created by the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008. Council members include all inspectors general empowered by sections of the Inspector General Act of 1978, those appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and those appointed by agency heads.[2]

PRAC organization

The CARES Act required the chairperson of CIGIE to select the chairperson of PRAC from among inspectors general with experience managing oversight of large organizations and large amounts of spending.[1]

  • On April 7, President Trump removed Glenn Fine from his role as acting Pentagon inspector general. Fine remained at the U.S. Department of Defense, but he was no longer a member of PRAC.[3]
  • On March 30, Michael Horowitz, chair of CIGIE and inspector general for the United States Department of Justice appointed Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general for the Pentagon, to lead PRAC.[4]

The act called for an executive director and deputy executive director of PRAC. The act gave the chair of CIGIE 30 days from the time President Trump signed the act to appoint the executive director. The chair of CIGIE must consult the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate, and the minority leader of the House of Representatives when making the appointment. A similar appointment process applied to the deputy executive director of PRAC except that the chair of CIGIE must consult with the executive director of PRAC and had 90 days to find a candidate. According to the act, those who would take either of the PRAC leadership roles must have:[1]

  • A demonstrated ability in accounting, auditing, and financial analysis
  • Experience managing oversight of large organizations and expenditures
  • A full-time job working for PRAC

The act set the compensation for the executive director and deputy executive director of PRAC at level IV of the executive schedule, which was $155,500 as of March 2020.[1][5]

PRAC membership

The following officials were members of the PRAC as of April 8, 2020:[1][4][6][3]

PRAC responsibilities

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The CARES Act established the following purpose for PRAC:[1]

The Committee shall conduct and coordinate oversight of covered funds and the Coronavirus response and support Inspectors General in the oversight of covered funds and the Coronavirus response in order to—
(i) detect and prevent fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement; and
(ii) identify major risks that cut across programs and agency boundaries.[7]

The act outlined the following functions for the committee:[1]

(i) developing a strategic plan to ensure coordinated, efficient, and effective comprehensive oversight by the Committee and Inspectors General over all aspects of covered funds and the Coronavirus response;


(ii) auditing or reviewing covered funds, including a comprehensive audit and review of charges made to Federal contracts pursuant to authorities provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, to determine whether wasteful spending, poor contract or grant management, or other abuses are occurring and referring matters the Committee considers appropriate for investigation to the Inspector General for the agency that disbursed the covered funds, including conducting randomized audits to identify fraud;

(iii) reviewing whether the reporting of contracts and grants using covered funds meets applicable standards and specifies the purpose of the contract or grant and measures of performance;

(iv) reviewing the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of, and the detection of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in, Coronavirus response programs and operations;

(v) reviewing whether competition requirements applicable to contracts and grants using covered funds have been satisfied;

(vi) serving as a liaison to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Secretary of the Treasury, and other officials responsible for implementing the Coronavirus response;

(vii) reviewing whether there are sufficient qualified acquisition, grant, and other applicable personnel overseeing covered funds and the Coronavirus response;

(viii) reviewing whether personnel whose duties involve the Coronavirus response or acquisitions or grants made with covered funds or are otherwise related to the Coronavirus response receive adequate training, technology support, and other resources;

(ix) reviewing whether there are appropriate mechanisms for interagency collaboration relating to the oversight of covered funds and the Coronavirus response, including coordinating and collaborating to the extent practicable with State and local government entities;

(x) expeditiously reporting to the Attorney General any instance in which the Committee has reasonable grounds to believe there has been a violation of Federal criminal law; and

(xi) coordinating and supporting Inspectors General on matters related to oversight of covered funds and the Coronavirus response.[7]

The act also requires PRAC to create a user-friendly, public website within 30 days "to foster greater accountability and transparency in the use of covered funds and the Coronavirus response."[1]

See also

Footnotes