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Ranking member says OMB is refusing to cooperate with at least 14 GAO audits, including 10 required by law
Summary
A ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs accused the Office of Management and Budget of refusing to cooperate with at least 14 Government Accountability Office audits, including 10 he said are required by law, and said four audits were requested by him.
The ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs accused the Office of Management and Budget of refusing to cooperate with at least 14 Government Accountability Office audits, including 10 that he said are required by law. He framed the issue as part of a broader concern about undermining independent oversight.
"They're used to people standing around them just rubber-stamping whatever they do," the ranking member said, adding that independent watchdogs "have literally saved billions in taxpayer money from fraud or abuse." He later said, "OMB is refusing to cooperate with at least 14 GAO audits, including 10 audits required by law, required by law. You're ignoring them." He also stated that four audits were requested by him in his role as ranking member.
The allegation centers on the Office of Management and Budget's cooperation with the Government Accountability Office, the federal watchdog agency that conducts audits and investigations of federal programs. The ranking member presented the counts — 14 audits total, 10 described as legally required, and four specifically requested by him — as the principal evidence in his remarks during the committee proceeding excerpt.
The committee excerpt provided no response to the allegation from OMB representatives, nor did it include any formal vote or motion addressing the audits. The statements in the record attribute the counts and the characterization of OMB's actions directly to the ranking member. The committee record in this excerpt does not specify which audits are at issue, the statutes cited, or whether GAO has made public findings about the listed audits.
Absent additional details in the record, the number of audits and the claim that 10 are "required by law" are presented as the ranking member stated them; the underlying audits, legal citations and any OMB response were not included in the excerpt provided. The committee did not announce any formal action on the audits in the portion of the proceeding reflected in the transcript.
