The #House bill would also block the #accountability office from suing the government to force the release of frozen funds, unless Dodaro & his successors obtain congressional support. That could make it harder for the office to conduct #oversight of #Trump, though #Senate #Republicans have not targeted the #GAO as part of their own appropriations bill for 2026. A spox for Valadao did not respond to a request for comment.

The #House measure, if passed, could force the #accountability office to reduce its staff by at least 2,200 people, acc/to an estimate that the #GAO furnished to lawmakers in June. The office warned that the cut would leave it unable to do work sought by both parties to uncover federal waste.

“It would have, if that were to happen, grave & pervasive effects on our services to #Congress,” Dodaro said in an interview.

In contrast, #House #Republicans in June proposed to strike nearly $400 million from the #GAO’s budget as part of a larger *spending* measure for next fiscal year. Its author, Rep David Valadao (R-CA), framed it in June as part of a broader crackdown on “unnecessary spending” in the legislative branch. But #RussVought appeared to offer another explanation on social media, writing: “Maybe GAO shouldn’t be partisan.”

On Monday, a federal #court ruled — in a case brought by #PublicInterest groups — that the #Trump admin had illegally disabled the website.

While the #GAO is a #legislative agency, its leader is appointed by the president based on a set of recommendations from #Congress, then confirmed by the #Senate. It is a unique structure, which #Paoletta described in 2024 as “clearly unconstitutional,” arguing that it limits whom the president may choose.

The next month, #Paoletta told a federal agency directly that it should “pay no heed whatsoever to GAO’s conclusions, as they are incorrect” on the matter of #impoundment. Paoletta said the #GAO took an overly broad view of the #law, & #Trump could legally withhold money temporarily “to determine the most appropriate use of the funds” [nope].

The GAO’s findings coincided with a set of lawsuits challenging the interruption of #federal dollars, including a new case filed last week by a coalition of #states affected by the slowdown in #PublicSchool #funding. Dodaro, who has served at #GAO in some capacity for more than 50 years, said the primary issue is not the specific money that has been withheld but “the process” the #Trump admin used to do so.

Eloise Pasachoff, a professor at Georgetown University’s law school who has studied the #GAO, said it was “not created as a partisan body.” She added that it has primarily been “an evenhanded evaluator of how both programs work & spending works.”

The office has long worked to identify trillions of dollars in savings, an effort lauded by both parties that long preceded #Trump & his *cost-cutting* operation known as #DOGE.

At the center of the battle is the #GAO, which #Congress created in 1921 & expanded about a half-century later. Lawmakers at the time looked to assert themselves against the White House, after President Richard M. #Nixon repeatedly defied their instructions on #spending.

But #Democrats, who overwhelmingly opposed the clawbacks, previously estimated that #Trump continues to impede more than $400B in additional spending without #Congress’ approval. That includes >$5 billion in #PublicSchool funds that the White House halted in July, according to lawmakers.

Under the #Constitution, that #power is afforded to #Congress. But #Trump & #RussVought have sought to reconfigure the #budget on the *premise* that they have expansive authority to act on their own, a position echoed by some #Republicans in Congress [only when they’re in power].

Last week, Republicans approved a set of #spending #cuts formally sought by the White House, revoking $9B in enacted funding for #PublicBroadcasting & #ForeignAid.