White House Defunds Council of Inspectors General, Disabling Federal Oversight

The Office of Management and Budget withheld congressionally approved funding for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), effectively disabling oversight of 72 federal watchdogs. The defunding caused at least 15 government oversight websites to go dark, removing access to watchdog reports and whistleblower hotlines for agencies including Agriculture, Education, Justice, Interior, Veterans Affairs, and others. CIGIE was forced to furlough 25 employees. The action interrupted congressionally authorized whistleblower hotlines, IG employee training, and an oversight body that reviews allegations of wrongdoing against watchdogs. OMB called inspectors general ‘corrupt’ and ‘partisan’ as justification, making a ‘policy decision’ not to apportion fiscal year 2026 funding despite congressional authorization. This represents a systematic dismantling of federal accountability mechanisms.