Press Releases

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), and Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) today called on President Trump to immediately rescind T. March Bell’s nomination to serve as Inspector General (IG) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Representatives pointed to Bell’s concerning record of significant ethical misconduct at the expense of Virginia taxpayers, alleging it compromises the integrity and accountability required of the official tasked with auditing fraud, waste, and abuse within HHS’ over $1.7 trillion portfolio of programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

The Representatives detailed Bell’s forced resignation from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in 1997 after he directed improper payments to a former colleague and his refusal to release information regarding his duties and responsibilities while receiving $125,000 taxpayer-funded salary in his most recent role as a senior advisor to the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety, in violation of Virginia’s open records laws.

Full text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here.

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Dear President Trump:

We write to ask you to immediately rescind your nomination of T. March Bell as Inspector General (IG) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Bell’s history of ethical lapses and obfuscation at the expense of Virginia taxpayers is incompatible with the inspector general’s mission to provide independent oversight and accountability at HHS.

In 1997, Bell was forced to resign from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for mishandling taxpayer funds by directing improper payments to a former colleague, who had himself resigned over attempting to orchestrate a “deceptive media campaign against a legislative committee.” At the time, the Virginia auditor of public accounts found that Bell had violated Virginia policy by approving nearly $8,000 in compensatory payments with no documentation, violating not only “internal procedures” but also Commonwealth-wide policies designed to protect taxpayer funds. That disregard for basic transparency and accountability requirements was part of what the Daily Press described as a DEQ leadership-wide pattern of “[thinking] the law doesn’t apply to them” —a pattern obviously at odds with the serious work of an inspector general.

Further, Bell’s recent behavior suggests that he continues to believe that he should not be beholden to Virginia law, Virginia taxpayers, or the standards that Virginians expect of public officials. In 2022, Bell was hired as a senior advisor to the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety, drawing a $125,000 annual salary from Virginia taxpayers. Unfortunately, little is known about that position. Despite taking a position ineligible for the limited exceptions to Virginia’s open records law, Bell secured the Governor’s support in improperly blocking the release of any information regarding his taxpayer-funded role. While willing to draw a salary from Virginians, Bell was apparently unwilling to disclose exactly why he was drawing that salary, either voluntarily or in accordance with Virginia law.

Appointing an official clearly unconcerned with ethics, transparency, or accountability is directly at odds with the mission of an office that last year recovered more than $7 billion for American taxpayers. We ask that you therefore immediately rescind the nomination of T. March Bell as HHS IG.

Sincerely,