INV-037 · Money & ethics · Misuse of office
OMB cuts off the inspectors general council
Stage 4 of 5: Legal action · Lawsuits, subpoenas, charges · Last development 25 Feb 2026
The budget office withheld Congress-approved funding from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), which trains federal watchdogs, investigates complaints against them and runs Oversight.gov. Oversight.gov and at least 15 watchdog websites with whistleblower hotlines went dark for about seven weeks. After Republican senators objected, OMB released short-term money. Watchdog groups sued to force full funding; the case is pending.
OMB says the decision was about inspectors general it calls "corrupt, partisan"; no court has ruled on whether withholding the funds was lawful.
- People
- Russ Vought, Office of Management and Budget
- Agencies
- OMB
- Reviewed by
- Federal court (D. Md.), Sens. Grassley & Collins
Timeline
OMB and Vought move to dismiss; the motion is pending before Judge Paula Xinis. [3]
PEER, the Government Accountability Project and the Project On Government Oversight sue OMB and Vought in federal court in Maryland (8:25-cv-04164). [3]
OMB releases about $4.3M to run CIGIE through 30 Jan 2026 and announces a "programmatic review" of the council. Oversight.gov comes back online. [1]
Oversight.gov, which holds more than 34,000 watchdog reports, and at least 15 inspector general websites with whistleblower hotlines go offline: "Due to a lack of apportionment of funds, this website is currently unavailable." [2]
Sens. Grassley and Collins write to OMB Director Vought objecting. [1]
OMB tells CIGIE it will not apportion its congressionally approved fiscal 2026 funding. [1]
Responses
- OMB (spokesman Armen Tooloee): "Inspectors general are meant to be impartial watchdogs... Unfortunately, they have become corrupt, partisan, and in some cases, have lied to the public. The American people will no longer be funding this corruption." [2]
Who is acting on it
- Letter Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME): Objected to OMB cutting off the inspectors general council (29 Sep 2025, What happened next)
- Lawsuit PEER, Government Accountability Project, Project On Government Oversight: Sued OMB and Vought over the funding (17 Dec 2025, Under way)
Sources
Cite this case
Public Trust Tracker. "OMB cuts off the inspectors general council" (INV-037). Last updated 25 Feb 2026. https://publictrusttracker.org/case/inv-037-omb-cuts-off-the-inspectors-general-council/
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