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OMB Director Vought Embroiled in Battles Over Spending Transparency, Congressional Oversight, and Executive Budget Powers
Published 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
In the last few days, the Office of Management and Budget led by Director Russell Vought has been at the center of several high stakes fights over spending transparency, congressional oversight, and executive branch budget powers. According to Government Executive, a federal appeals court ordered OMB to restore a website that discloses apportionments, the timelines and conditions OMB places on how agencies spend congressionally approved funds, after the administration pulled it down in March. The court said keeping the site offline would undercut Congress’s power of the purse and ordered OMB to republish it by Friday. The lawsuits were brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Protect Democracy, and the opinion warned that granting a delay would cut the purse strings of Congress. OMB did not immediately comment on whether it will appeal, while Justice declined to say if it would continue litigation.
Washington Technology reports that Vought has escalated criticism of the Government Accountability Office, calling GAO investigations non events with no consequence and rearview mirror stuff, as House Republicans move to slash GAO’s budget. GAO responded with a public explainer on its role, emphasizing that most of its work is mandated or requested by Congress and stressing its nonpartisan mission. This follows GAO legal decisions and audits that have challenged recent White House efforts to control or delay spending, including a cancelled electric vehicle program that GAO said violated the law.
AOL News reports senators are pushing back on Vought’s call to harden the appropriations process along more partisan lines, warning it could undermine Congress’s constitutional power over spending. In a separate report, AOL says the White House is weighing pocket rescissions, a rarely used executive maneuver to block spending without congressional approval after a temporary hold, and notes that Vought has described pocket rescissions as one of the executive tools on the table as the administration seeks cuts.
MeriTalk says top Democrats led by Senator Elizabeth Warren asked OMB Director Russell Vought and the Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor to explain reported efforts to convert Department of Government Efficiency appointees into permanent civil service roles, a practice known as burrowing. The letter cites an NPR report on conversions and raises concerns about compliance with merit system laws during a government hiring freeze. OPM’s Kupor publicly countered that the letter misconstrues the process and said no unlawful burrowing has occurred.
The Mortgage Point, citing Banking Dive, reports that Mark Paoletta at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defended Vought’s earlier move to give the CFPB zero dollars from the Federal Reserve for a quarter, arguing to the Government Accountability Office that it was not an illegal withholding under the Impoundment Control Act. The Supreme Court upheld the CFPB funding structure last year, but the dispute has continued through letters and public statements as watchdogs scrutinize the administration’s use of apportionments and funding discretion.
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Washington Technology reports that Vought has escalated criticism of the Government Accountability Office, calling GAO investigations non events with no consequence and rearview mirror stuff, as House Republicans move to slash GAO’s budget. GAO responded with a public explainer on its role, emphasizing that most of its work is mandated or requested by Congress and stressing its nonpartisan mission. This follows GAO legal decisions and audits that have challenged recent White House efforts to control or delay spending, including a cancelled electric vehicle program that GAO said violated the law.
AOL News reports senators are pushing back on Vought’s call to harden the appropriations process along more partisan lines, warning it could undermine Congress’s constitutional power over spending. In a separate report, AOL says the White House is weighing pocket rescissions, a rarely used executive maneuver to block spending without congressional approval after a temporary hold, and notes that Vought has described pocket rescissions as one of the executive tools on the table as the administration seeks cuts.
MeriTalk says top Democrats led by Senator Elizabeth Warren asked OMB Director Russell Vought and the Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor to explain reported efforts to convert Department of Government Efficiency appointees into permanent civil service roles, a practice known as burrowing. The letter cites an NPR report on conversions and raises concerns about compliance with merit system laws during a government hiring freeze. OPM’s Kupor publicly countered that the letter misconstrues the process and said no unlawful burrowing has occurred.
The Mortgage Point, citing Banking Dive, reports that Mark Paoletta at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defended Vought’s earlier move to give the CFPB zero dollars from the Federal Reserve for a quarter, arguing to the Government Accountability Office that it was not an illegal withholding under the Impoundment Control Act. The Supreme Court upheld the CFPB funding structure last year, but the dispute has continued through letters and public statements as watchdogs scrutinize the administration’s use of apportionments and funding discretion.
Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
For more http://www.quietplease.ai
Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI