Under the authority of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, we conduct independent audits, evaluations, and investigations that promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness and prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse in U.S. foreign assistance programs. We provide oversight of ongoing foreign assistance programming, as well as oversight of the operations and personnel of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Inter-American Foundation (IAF), and U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). In coordination with the Inspectors General for the Departments of Defense and State, our work also includes oversight of overseas contingency operations in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, which often involve foreign assistance, humanitarian aid, and stabilization activities.
Our independent oversight goals are aligned with U.S. foreign assistance priorities and the interests of our stakeholders. We provide the results of our work to agency leaders, Congress, and the public.
History, Mandates, and Authority
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1980 |
USAID OIG Is Established USAID OIG was established by Public Law 96-533, an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. |
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1981 |
USAID OIG Brought Under the Inspector General Act The International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1981 brought the USAID Inspector General under the Inspector General Act of 1978. |
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1999 |
Oversight of IAF and USADF OIG assumed audit and investigative oversight of IAF and USADF under the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Appendix G of Public Law 106-113. |
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2004 |
Oversight of MCC OIG assumed oversight of MCC under the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, Division D, Title VI of Public Law 108-199. |
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2013 |
Oversight of Overseas Contingency Operations OIG was charged with joint, coordinated oversight of overseas contingency operations under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, Public Law 112-239. |
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2026 |
Oversight Jurisdiction for Foreign Assistance Programs The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) affirmed OIG’s continued oversight jurisdiction for foreign assistance programs administered by the agency primarily responsible for administering part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.). |