Miller has started interviewing candidates to start building his team, according to a person familiar with the matter. He is looking to hire lawyers, experts in financial forensics and legislative experts, the person said.

Separately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are exchanging names of candidates to lead the congressional panel. Pelosi on Thursday said she would have an announcement soon, and called the need “important” and “immediate.”

Responsibilities of the special inspector general include overseeing disbursements by the Treasury Department -- money flowing to big businesses including airlines.

Similarly, nobody’s been named to head the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee, a body made up of inspectors general from throughout the government. It was to be headed by an inspector general who drew praise from Democrats before being removed by Trump.

Money Moving
The sole person named to the congressional commission, Bharat Ramamurti, is doing what he can. In a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday, Ramamurti asked for information on the trillions in emergency loans that the central bank plans to extend to businesses.

“Money is moving around in the blink of an eye,” Ramamurti wrote, “and it’s not at all clear what it all means and who it’s helping.”

The coronavirus relief law terminates the special inspector general’s office in five years. That temporary nature is one barrier to attracting and retaining staff, said Neil Barofsky, the first special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The coronavirus legislation lets retirees keep benefits if they join the office, and that’s a help, he added.

“You are asking good people to leave their existing jobs or come out of retirement to work for a temporary agency,” Barofsky said. “The IG needs the flexibility and authority to attract talent.”

Romero said the post she holds is to continue as long as the Troubled Asset Relief Program is spending money. The lack of a deadline helps when mounting complex investigations, she added.

“Investigations can take a long time, particularly criminal investigations, to be able to investigate and then work with DOJ or others to prosecute,” Romero said, referring to the Department of Justice. “So it’s been very helpful for us that we’ve been able to have the time we need.”