5 U.S.C. § 403 — Appointments

(a) In General. Each Office^* of Inspector General^* is headed by an Inspector General, appointed by the President with the Senate's advice and consent. The choice cannot be based on political affiliation — only on integrity and demonstrated skill in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public administration, or investigations. The Inspector General reports to, and is supervised by, the head of their agency, or whoever the head delegates that authority to — but no one else in the agency can supervise them. Neither the agency head nor that delegate can stop or block the Inspector General from starting, carrying out, or finishing any audit or investigation, or from issuing a subpoena during one.

(b) Removal or Transfer. The President can remove an Inspector General from office. If an Inspector General is removed or transferred to a different position or location, the President must explain the reasons in writing to both houses of Congress, at least 30 days before the removal or transfer happens. This does not block any other personnel action the law otherwise allows — only removal or transfer.

(c) Not an Employee Who Determines Policy. For purposes of section 7324 of this title, an Inspector General is not treated as an employee who sets nationwide federal policy.

(d) Assistant Inspectors General and Whistleblower Protection Coordinator. Following normal civil-service laws and rules, each Inspector General must appoint an Assistant Inspector General for Auditing, who oversees the office's audits of the agency's programs and operations, and an Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, who oversees its investigations. Each Inspector General must also designate a Whistleblower Protection Coordinator. That Coordinator must educate agency employees about protections against retaliation for protected disclosures, and — for employees who have made or are thinking about making a protected disclosure — explain their rights and remedies against retaliation. That includes explaining how to seek review of a retaliation claim (through the Office of Inspector General, the Office of Special Counsel, the Merit Systems Protection Board, or other relevant bodies), plus general information about how long such cases take, available dispute-resolution options, and possible relief. The Coordinator must also help the Inspector General handle disclosures and retaliation complaints promptly and appropriately, and help coordinate with the Special Counsel, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, the agency, Congress, and other relevant parties on whistleblower matters. The Coordinator cannot act as the employee's legal representative, agent, or advocate. The Coordinator must have direct access to the Inspector General whenever needed. This requirement to designate a Whistleblower Protection Coordinator does not apply to an intelligence-community agency, or — if the President so decides — to any agency or unit whose main job is foreign intelligence or counterintelligence work.

(e) Rate of Pay. An Inspector General's yearly base pay is the rate for level III of the Executive Schedule, plus 3 percent.

(f) Prohibition on Cash Awards. An Inspector General cannot receive any cash award or cash bonus, including one under chapter 45 of this title.

(g) Legal Advice. Following normal civil-service laws and rules, each Inspector General must get legal advice from a counsel who reports either directly to that Inspector General or to another Inspector General.