Previous posts have discussed the congressional lobotomy including the shrinkage of GAO.
First, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency contacted GAO to assign a downsizing team there, despite the agency being housed within the legislative branch and therefore not subject to an executive order granting DOGE access to most other federal operations.
Then, last week, Senate Republicans disregarded GAO guidance and nixed waivers allowing California to set its own pollution standards, even after the watchdog concluded that the Senate couldn’t do that under a simple-majority threshold.
“The GAO has no role” in determining how the chamber should proceed, said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in an interview in the leadup to the votes. “The GAO has no authority.”
Capping things off before the long holiday weekend came a social media post from White House budget chief Russ Vought, publicly belittling the agency for its findings that the administration illegally withheld money Congress had previously approved for supporting electric vehicle infrastructure. It’s one of at least 39 separate GAO inquiries into whether the White House flouted the 51-year-old law preventing presidents from circumventing Congress’ “power of the purse.”
