Appropriations subcommittee presses oversight of 'Department of Government Efficiency' and raises alarms about mass probationary firings

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government heard multiple members raise urgent oversight concerns about the administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency — referred to in testimony as “Doge” — and the effects of its actions on federal operations, contractors and public services.

Lawmakers told the subcommittee during member day that the administration has used executive directives and Office of Management and Budget guidance to halt or redirect funds already appropriated by Congress, and that mass dismissals of probationary employees have disrupted services and created legal and operational uncertainty.

Representative Steny Hoyer, the committee’s ranking member, framed the issue around congressional authority and oversight, saying the panel has “the power of the purse, not the president,” and arguing the committee must investigate how the new entity is…