GOP Lawmakers Further Bill Slashing Funding to Watchdog Group Despite Dozens of Active Investigations

Republican lawmakers are moving to cut funding for the Government Accountability Office, a watchdog group currently conducting 40 active investigations into the Trump administration.

The GOP-led House Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to advance a $5 billion budget for fiscal year 2026, which includes a 5% cut from current funding levels. Particularly distressing to Democrats is the bill proposes slashing the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) budget by nearly 50%, reducing it from $819 million to $415 million. This comes despite the GAO saving taxpayers tens of billions of dollars annually by identifying wasteful spending, New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat told The Hill. He also warned the cuts could result in the loss of 2,200 jobs.

Espaillat revealed that the GAO currently has "nearly 40 open investigations into whether the White House is illegally withholding money that we, as a committee, previously appropriated."

"By supporting actions that violate the rule of law, the committee is compromising its own integrity," he added.

Tensions between the GAO and the Trump administration appear to be escalating. Earlier this week, White House Budget Chief Russell Vought criticized the agency during a Senate hearing, accusing it of "improperly calling programmatic review impoundments."

"We're going through a programmatic review," Vought told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. "We will look at our options under the law with regard to that funding. Each set of funding is different, as you know, and we will be continuing to evaluate that program."

While the GAO faces major cuts, the bill proposes increases for the U.S. Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, the Architect of the Capitol, and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, along with boosts in salaries and expenses for House officers, employees, and committee operations.

The proposed budget now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain since many Democrats oppose the current version and may seek to pass a revised bill.