OMB director says Government Accountability Office "shouldn't exist"
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Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, speaks to members of the media outside the White House on July 24. Photo: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Wednesday that he doesn't believe the Government Accountability Office (GAO) should exist.
Why it matters: The GAO has released several reports this year that said the Trump administration is in violation of federal law — including at least one one that singled Vought out.
The big picture: "We're not big fans of GAO," Vought said at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C. "They are a quasi-legislative independent entity and something that shouldn't exist."
- Republican lawmakers and the White House have targeted the GAO after it opened investigations into the spending of congressionally approved funds, the New York Times reported.
- The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
State of play: "GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars," the watchdog's website said.
- "Our work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is statutorily required by public laws or committee reports, per our Congressional Protocols."
- The comptroller general, who leads the GAO, is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. Congress has the authority to remove the comptroller general, per the GAO office.
Gene Dodaro has been in the position since December 2010, and the one-time term is limited to 15 years. President Trump has not said who he will appoint to replace Dodaro when his term expires.
- "Clearly Russell Vought does not value transparency and accountability," Dodaro said in a Wednesday statement.
- "GAO's mission is to support Congress in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities. During my tenure as Comptroller General alone, GAO has saved taxpayers over $1.2 trillion and resulted in tens of thousands of improvements to how federal programs work."
Zoom out: Vought's comments are latest example of the Trump administration criticizing a section of the government that is meant to function without partisanship.
- The administration has spent months attacking the Federal Reserve, after the central bank held off drastic interest rate cuts that Trump has claimed will boost the economy.
- The president recently fired Lisa Cook, who sits on the Fed's Board of Governors. He's also lashed out at Fed chair Jerome Powell and floated firing him before his term as chair expires next year.
Catch up quick: Vought also led the OMB during Trump's first term and has been tasked with furthering DOGE's mission of cutting federal funding during this administration.
- He was confirmed as budget director despite an all-night protest session from Democrats. They called him "clearly unfit for office."
- Vought has been systemically dismantling another accountability organization, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for months.
Behind the scenes: Vought was a co-architect of Project 2025, where he outlined ways to centralize executive power and reel in the federal bureaucracy.
Go deeper: Who is Russ Vought, Trump's pick for DC's regulatory gatekeeper
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional statements and corrected to state that it's Congress which can remove the comptroller general (not the president).
