The Trump administration should focus on carrying out existing recommendations from inspectors general and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for addressing improper payments, rather than firing watchdogs and creating the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. CREW’s Executive Director Donald Sherman submitted a statement for the record to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency urging Congress to oppose President Trump’s actions that harm accountability and oversight. 

The GAO was created more than 100 years ago to provide objective information to help the federal government save money and work more efficiently, and in the past 6 years, the agency’s average return on investment is $123 to $1. As of February 11, the executive branch has more than 5,386 outstanding GAO recommendations to complete including 480 priority recommendations—many of which could save or return taxpayer money to the government. 

Similarly, offices of inspector general, which are tasked with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse throughout the government, overwhelmingly save taxpayers significant amounts of money—an estimated potential savings of $93.1 billion in fiscal year 2023 alone, with an average return of $26 for every dollar spent. 

If President Trump was serious about promoting government efficiency and reducing improper payments, he would have prioritized strengthening these already existing independent government watchdogs. He could have issued an executive order directing his cabinet and federal agencies to expeditiously implement the thousands of open GAO and inspector general recommendations outstanding in the executive branch. He could have suggested that OIGs get more resources. He did no such thing. 

Instead, Trump’s approach to efficiency has been decidedly unserious. On his first day in office, the president created a redundant Department of Government Efficiency and appointed his billionaire campaign donor Elon Musk to lead the agency despite his potential conflicts of interest as a government contractor. Then, unfortunately, and shockingly, during his first days in office Trump unceremoniously fired 17 independent inspectors general in a move that substantially increases the risk that government waste and fraud will go undetected, and unremediated. 

As Sherman’s statement reads, “If the members of this Committee are actually concerned about efficiency and oversight then I would expect vocal and bipartisan opposition to President Trump’s illegal attacks on IGs and a demand for their reinstatement.” Congress should oppose Trump’s actions to hinder accountability and oversight, and should help ensure that the GAO and inspectors general are able to carry out their roles in combating corruption and waste including improper payments. Unfortunately, the actions that Trump and Musk have taken thus far will not do that.

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