The Senate Finance Committee will launch an investigation into Social Security Inspector General Gail Ennis and her office amid management failure concerns, The Washington Post reported.
Ennis last summer was investigated by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency after a Post report that revealed how an anti-fraud program had imposed massive penalties on disabled and elderly people.
The Senate panel's probe will likely focus on "allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers, plummeting morale, staff attrition, hiring decisions and a declining number of investigations into fraud in the massive disability benefits program," according to the Post.
Ennis reportedly took part in a briefing earlier this month about the issues at the office.
"The committee has grown increasingly concerned about the performance of the Social Security Inspector General's office over the past year, especially allegations of whistleblower retaliation," Taylor Harvey, a spokesman for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in an email to the Post. "Chairman Wyden will continue working to ensure the office is able to perform its critical watchdog role in the months ahead."
A spokeswoman for Ennis' office declined to comment on the report but said the number of investigations dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The spokeswoman said the agency's "investigative performance since then has returned to pre-pandemic levels."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.