WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), presumptive ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, is seeking information from a broad set of federal government agencies about their use of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program, which allows agencies to utilize non-federal employees to serve in temporary roles in the federal government while being paid by outside employers or entities.
“Full public transparency is critical to ensuring that the roles, responsibilities, and funding arrangements for [these workers],” Grassley wrote, “…do not present potential or actual conflicts of interest.”
Grassley is seeking information about IPA assignees whose salaries are paid by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a non-profit with ties to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Schmidt’s reported involvement in providing financial support for IPA assignees in science and technology-related positions through FAS has raised conflicts of interest concerns given Schmidt’s significant investments in technology companies.
The senator is specifically asking for a comprehensive accounting of all IPA assignees, records relating to the agreements between assignees and agencies, and all documents and communications related to FAS, Eric Schmidt and other Schmidt-related entities. He sent letters of inquiry to the following list of agencies: White House Council of Economic Advisers, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Department of Energy, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Trade Commission, General Services Administration and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Full text of Grassley’s letters can be found at the following links:
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