Through the leadership of Senators Coleman and Levin, PSI has exposed $81 billion in government waste, fraud and abuse here in the U.S., including:

Under Coleman’s leadership, PSI has investigated and exposed America’s vulnerability to nuclear terrorism and dirty bombs, as well as the safety and security of our nation’s ports.   PSI identified weaknesses in the system and worked to fix them: improving the installation of radiation detection equipment at US and foreign ports to guarantee the safety of US-bound cargo; tightening guidelines to further secure our global supply chain; and pushing for more rigorous licensing procedures to ensure that radioactive materials stay out of the wrong hands.  These investigations led to these important improvements in our homeland security and were made part of the bipartisan 2006 SAFE Port Act. 

Additionally, under the leadership of Senators Coleman and Levin, PSI held dozens of hearings and conducted investigations in order to protect consumers, including investigating:

•                     banks that charge excessive credit card interest rates and unfair fees;

•                     credit counseling agencies that engage in abusive practices;

•                     tax preparers that engage in predatory lending  in connection with RAL (refund anticipation loans); and

•                     whether speculative trading has led to higher oil and natural gas prices.

Norm Coleman has been a strong supporter of a non-partisan entity created by Congress to conduct oversight in Iraq, working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create the office of the Special Investigator General for Iraq Reconstruction, to save and extend the office when it was slated to be terminated, and to expand the capabilities of the office. (11/13/06 legislation introduced by Collins, Feingold, Coleman; 11/14/06 Senate passed legislation to extend SIGIR; 9/28/07 Senate passes Coleman/Collins Amdt to DOD Authorization to expand and extend SIGIR)

 

SIGIR was created in October 2004 and reports to both the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, in addition to providing quarterly reports to Congress.  SIGIR alone has conducted 216 audits and has been responsible for $58 million in savings and $40 million in funds that have been redirected to be used more efficiently.  In addition, SIGIR’s investigative work has led to 14 indictments and arrests. 

 

Over 50 oversight hearings have been held in Congress; more than 110 Government Accountability Office investigations  on Iraq-related activities including over 50 on Iraq contracting; and at least 12 different entities are overseeing US government operations and expenditures  related to Iraq.