The RAT Board (Things You Should Know)

There are so many "things you should know" that its hard to know where to begin, so in no particular order, lets start with "the RAT Board", one of the many transformative things in the "Stimulus Bill" that has absolutely nothing to do with "stimulus".

"In the name of accountability and transparency, Congress has given the RAT Board the authority to ask “that an inspector general conduct or refrain from conducting an audit or investigation.” If the inspector general doesn’t want to follow the wishes of the RAT Board, he’ll have to write a report explaining his decision to the board, as well as to the head of his agency (from whom he is supposedly independent) and to Congress. In the end, a determined inspector general can probably get his way, but only after jumping through bureaucratic hoops that will inevitably make him hesitate to go forward." --Byron York

Ed Morrissey summarizes what this means in his blog post:
"What the RAT Board can do, as York points out, is direct or quash investigations by Inspectors General throughout the federal bureaucracy. Until now, IGs have had independence of action in order to avoid charges of politicization (remember that word?) and to conduct probes without interference from the Department of Justice, the White House, or Congress. Now they will answer to Congress not on general performance, but on the specifics of their probes."
Source: http://hotair.com/archives/2009/02/19/smelling-a-rat/

Appalled? You should be. But its too late. Congress has signed this "RAT" into law.