Janet Rehnquist will be stepping down as Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) June 1 to pursue other opportunities. The conservative daughter of the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court stirred controversy within the gay community with her audits of federal spending on AIDS. They were billed as the first of what would be an audit of all HHS programs.
One of her highest profile investigations was of Stop AIDS, a San Francisco AIDS education and prevention organization. Conservative members of Congress charged that activities such as a 'Great Sex Workshop' and 'Booty Call' promoted sexual activity and were obscene. Federal regulations prohibit the spending of grant money on either type of activity. The congressmen called for an investigation.
By the fall of 2001, Rehnquist's initial review led her to conclude, 'One might view the materials [used by these programs] as encouraging directly sexual activity and as obscene.' However, after spending several days with the organization, a review team found 'the potential for preventing HIV infection in San Francisco out weighted any possible obscenity' in their report issued in February of this year.
Less well known is a review of the Washington, D.C., group Us Helping Us, which primarily serves African-American men who have sex with men. The contractor performing the audit brought her Bible with her every day and was antagonistic toward gays and the organization throughout the months-long ordeal. Her report said that the vast majority of federal dollars were improperly accounted for and would have to be repaid—action that would destroy the organization.
She subsequently was fired for unprofessional conduct, but her audit report remains in limbo. Us Helping Us and others have questioned how the judgment of the report can be valid if the person conducting it acted so grossly inappropriately. They are urging that it be thrown out.
Rehnquist also was under heavy pressure for her overall management of the nonpartisan office. All six of her top deputies had either resigned or been forced out over the last two years.
Charges that she personally delayed an audit of the Florida state pension fund are under review by an ethical body. That delay meant potentially embarrassing results would not become known during the tough reelection campaign of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
One of Rehnquist's harshest critics, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, called the resignation 'the right step. The inspector general job wasn't a good fit for her abilities.'
The way that Rehnquist carried out the audit process was 'a psychological terror,' said Cornelius Baker, executive director of the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., and chair of the National Coalition for LGBT Health.
'She's not supposed to be some sort of robocop out to destroy AIDS services organizations, but to help them do their job better.' He said the tone of an agency is set at the top. The disrespect shown organizations under review was reflected in the disrespect and turnover of key staff in the inspector general's office.
Baker believes that 'with minor exceptions, people [at AIDS groups] are doing a good job and with honorable intentions.' He hopes that Rehnquist's successor will focus on helping those organizations do a better job rather than simply focus on fulfilling bureaucratic minutia.
