NW Kentucky News

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer has commented on a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The report scrutinizes Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s 2023 electric vehicle road trip, highlighting concerns over wasteful spending.

Chairman Comer stated, "Today’s OIG report is further evidence of the Biden Administration failing to protect taxpayer dollars and leaving funds exposed to serious waste, fraud, and abuse." He criticized the trip as a "publicity stunt" that was costly for taxpayers. Comer emphasized the committee's intent to work with the incoming Trump Administration to address these issues.

The Oversight Committee had previously requested information from the DOE in September 2023 regarding Secretary Granholm’s summer EV road trip. The documents provided revealed instances where staff incurred lodging costs above per diem rates, unapproved travel expenses, and misuse of government purchase cards. These findings prompted the committee to call for an OIG review in January 2024.

The newly released OIG report found significant discrepancies in travel expenses related to Granholm's trip. It reported that 86 percent of travel vouchers exceeded government per diem rates and suggested alternative accommodations could have reduced costs. Additionally, travelers did not use required government-issued travel cards, failed to address audit warnings about policy deviations, and were reimbursed beyond departmental policies. Inaccuracies were also found in voucher locations and dates.