Senators Collins, Grassley Urge OMB to Release Funds Appropriated for Inspectors General

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairs of the U.S. Senate Committees on Appropriations and Judiciary, respectively, sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought urging the reversal of the decision to withhold apportionments for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC).

"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. Congress has already appropriated FY 2026 funds for CIGIE and PRAC, and both entities enjoy strong bipartisan support. Thus, any adverse consequences will be solely due to OMB's decision not to apportion available funds, rather than any lapse in appropriations," the Senators wrote.

"Of course, we recognize the need to ensure that all government entities are good stewards of taxpayer dollars and operate efficiently and effectively. We understand from your staff that OMB's apportionment decision may be part of a review of CIGIE and PRAC activities," the Senators continued. "However, we see no reason why such a review could not occur while those entities remain operational so that they can continue the numerous functions that are mandated by law."

Senators Collins and Grassley were leading proponents of the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008, which established CIGIE to address integrity, economy, and effectiveness issues that transcend government agencies and to increase the professionalism and effectiveness of inspectors general (IG) personnel by helping to establish well-trained and highly skilled IG office workforces.

Congress established PRAC as part of the CARES Act to conduct and support government-wide oversight efforts associated with the emergency response to the Coronavirus pandemic, including through the use of a sophisticated analytics platform.

Click HERE to read the full letter.

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