President Donald Trump has selected a Republican lawyer who faced allegations of mishandling taxpayer funds and has a track record of initiating investigations against abortion clinics to head the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services. If confirmed by the Senate, Thomas March Bell will be tasked with overseeing audits to detect fraud, waste, and abuse within the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which collectively allocate over $1 trillion annually.
Bell, who was announced as the nominee on Monday, presently holds the position of general counsel for House Republicans, having accumulated decades of experience working for GOP lawmakers and congressional offices. Trump’s nomination is seen as a highly political move for a role traditionally regarded as nonpartisan, primarily focused on uncovering fraud within the country’s most substantial spending programs.
In 1997, Bell was dismissed from his position at Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality following a state audit that revealed improper authorization of a payment close to $8,000 to the agency’s former spokesperson, as reported by The Washington Post. Notably, he led the House Republicans’ 2016 investigation into Planned Parenthood, a controversial panel investigating the organization’s utilization of fetal tissue for medical research. During the initial Trump administration, Bell’s role within the HHS Office of Civil Rights garnered criticism from Democrats.
At the commencement of his second term, Trump promptly removed a dozen government watchdogs, including the HHS inspector general. This action, considered unusual as watchdogs typically continue their duties through administration changes, prompted legal action from eight inspectors general seeking reinstatement. Bell declined to comment and directed inquiries to the White House, which did not provide an immediate response.
In addition to overseeing investigations related to hospitals and insurers to ensure compliance with regulations, the HHS inspector general wields the authority to impose significant penalties. Inspector generals are meant to operate independently from the agencies they oversee.
