THESE 6,604 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MAY HAVE WASHINGTON’S TOUGHEST JOBS: They work for the federal government’s 72 inspectors general, the taxpayers’ first responders in the fight against waste and fraud. But the Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Group’s Ethan Barton says the story here isn’t how many of them there are but how many tax dollars each is responsible for overseeing. The 6,604 work at the eight largest federal departments, which together spend more than $3 trillion every year.

“These watchdogs – full-time auditors, investigators and others with related skills – fight waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending and each one of them is responsible, on average, for $503 million … And that’s just top eight; there are 64 other inspectors general in the federal government. Call it a ‘target-rich environment’ for all of them,” Barton writes.

Like first-responders in the military, law enforcement, civil emergencies and fire-fighting, the IG staffers have a huge role in helping protect the quality of life in America.