Press Release
Trump Administration’s Cuts to Federal Watchdog Council Would Weaken Government Oversight
This move will make it harder for federal watchdogs to do their job and for whistleblowers to expose wrongdoing.
Washington, D.C. — The Trump administration is dealing another blow to government accountability and transparency by defunding a critical government watchdog group. Faith Williams, director of the Effective and Accountable Government Program at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), issued the following statement:
“The administration is moving to defund a critical government watchdog group, undermining accountability and transparency across the federal government.
“Inspectors General play a crucial role in preventing waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government. Defunding the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) would deprive federal watchdogs of the resources they need to do their jobs effectively — making it harder to ensure the government is working for the people it’s meant to serve.
We could begin to see the impact of this dangerous decision as early as midnight, when the websites where federal employees and members of the public report allegations of wrongdoing may be effectively shut down.
“Undermining whistleblower protections is a hallmark of authoritarian systems and a direct threat to checks and balances. Unfortunately, this is not the first attack the administration has launched against our system of checks and balances, and it likely won’t be the last. No administration is above the law, and Congress and the courts must act to preserve independent oversight.”
