House Judiciary Committee Democrats on Thursday unveiled a new webpage with watchdog resources after the Trump administration cut off funding to the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and shut down websites for at least 28 Offices of the Inspector General (OIGs).
The White House shut down the websites on Oct. 1, and while the move coincided with the federal government shutdown, it is unrelated.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) confirmed to MeriTalk that it has declined to apportion fiscal year 2026 funds for CIGIE, citing what it described as “corrupt” and “partisan” conduct by inspectors general.
In an Oct. 16 press release, House Judiciary Committee Democrats called the move “a deliberate attempt by the Trump Administration to take advantage of confusion caused by the Republican shutdown to undermine government watchdogs and prevent accountability.”
The new webpage includes resources for reporting instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. It offers hotline contact information for over 20 OIGs, and it provides links to archived versions of OIG websites that have been shut down.
The group of Democrats said the webpage will continue to be updated until all OIG websites are fully restored.
“When an Administration works this hard to silence government watchdogs – the officials charged with rooting out waste, fraud, abuse and corruption – you have to ask: what are they trying to hide?” said Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md. “Well, it seems like almost everything, above all rank corruption and the continuing demolition of most public functions.”
“And now the Trump Administration is using the Republican Shutdown as a cover to shut down the websites of Inspectors General,” he added. “The money for these websites has already been appropriated and is available right now. We’re demanding that Russ Vought release these funds immediately and stop this blatant cover-up of the rampant corruption and lawlessness that have defined this Administration.”
Democrats are not the only ones calling on OMB to release the funding. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have also called on OMB to reverse course.
Earlier this month, the Republican senators warned OMB that CIGIE and its Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) could soon furlough staff and suspend operations despite Congress having already appropriated their funding.
“Absent immediate action, CIGIE and PRAC will need to furlough staff and terminate important functions that help prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the government,” the senators wrote in a joint letter to OMB Director Russ Vought. “Any adverse consequences will be solely due to OMB’s decision not to apportion available funds, rather than any lapse in appropriations.”