Walkinshaw Demands Vought Provide Answers and Protections for IGs

Washington, D.C. – Congressman James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11), a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, today condemned the Trump Administration’s decision to defund the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), warning that the move represents a direct attack on independent oversight and accountability in government.

In a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, Walkinshaw demanded answers on how the Administration plans to fulfill CIGIE’s statutory responsibilities in the absence of funding, including continued oversight of pandemic relief funds, administration of oversight.gov, and protections for whistleblowers.

“I write with great alarm regarding OMB’s recent decision to cut funding for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE),” Walkinshaw wrote. “This action seriously threatens the ability of the Federal government to conduct independent oversight of the Executive branch. It clearly disregards statutory requirements, threatens the ability of federal employees to submit whistleblower complaints against Inspectors General, and represents a blatant continuation of the Trump Administration’s politically motivated attacks on the Inspectors General (IG) community.”

“Inspectors General aren’t optional,” said Walkinshaw in sending the letter. “The Trump Administration and Vought have unleashed chaos on the federal workforce and tried to fire the watchdogs tasked with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. Just because Trump is taking us to a shutdown doesn’t give carte blanche to muzzle our Inspectors General.” 

CIGIE was established by Congress to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the IG community. It coordinates audits, peer reviews, training, and investigations of wrongdoing by IGs and senior officials. It also houses the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), created with bipartisan support to oversee trillions in federal relief funds and recently extended through 2034.

Walkinshaw underscored that  CIGIE’s functions are not optional and cannot be dismantled by executive action:

• CIGIE provides the infrastructure that allows whistleblowers to file complaints against IGs and ensures independent, professional oversight across agencies.
• The Trump Administration’s defunding move threatens Congress’s constitutional oversight responsibilities and undermines bipartisan safeguards against waste, fraud, and abuse.

To protect the independence of federal oversight, Walkinshaw announced he will be taking over Rep. Connolly’s Keep the Watchdogs Running Act (H.R. 2180), legislation that ensures Inspectors General can continue to function even during a shutdown or funding lapse.

Full text of the letter is available here and follows. 

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