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A-09 — Inspectors General, Whistleblowers, and Internal Oversight

Generalized Institutional Concern

Internal watchdogs lack sufficient independence, access, tenure protection, remedial authority, and enforcement capacity to investigate executive misconduct when agency leadership or the president resists.

Active Issues

Prior Issue Numbers

These numbers were assigned during preliminary review but did not become separate proposals. They are listed only to explain gaps in the sequence.

  • OVS-002, OVS-003, OVS-005, OVS-006, OVS-007 — Merged into OVS-001 as acting-service, records-access, report, recommendation, congressional-notice, and follow-through components of one inspector-general framework.

Issue Boundaries

  • OVS-001 owns inspector-general appointment and acting service, removal, access, testimony, reporting, recommendation follow-through, and congressional notification. Cross-reference APPT-001 for generally applicable acting-service rules.
  • OVS-004 remains separate because whistleblower coverage, disclosures, retaliation, confidentiality, administrative exhaustion, and rapid individual relief require a different legal framework.
  • OVS-008 remains separate because internal ethics offices have distinct advisory, disclosure, recusal, discipline, privilege, and enforcement functions that are not equivalent to statutory inspectors general.
  • OVS-009 remains separate because it concerns the external investigation and enforcement route for statutory political-activity restrictions when senior-official status makes ordinary adjudication unavailable or dependent on presidential discipline.

Notes

OVS-001 and OVS-009 are in development. OVS-004 and OVS-008 remain unresolved candidates. OVS-009 was admitted from HOR-032; its constitutional-fit review and initial legislative vehicle remain pending.