In a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought, Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa) expressed concern over the administration’s move to end funding for an inspector general oversight group.

The group — the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) — oversees 72 inspectors general. It was established via the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008, with Collins, Grassley and then-Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) co-sponsoring. 

The council is intended “to increase the professionalism and effectiveness of personnel by developing policies, standards, and approaches to aid in the establishment of a well-trained and highly skilled workforce in the offices of the Inspectors General,” according to the legislation. 

CIRIE also runs oversight.gov, where inspector general reports are published and whistleblowers can report wrongdoing. 

But in a letter to four House and Senate committees on Saturday, CIGIE — citing OMB’s discretion — said it would “cease our statutorily mandated functions and furlough 25 permanent employees,” according to the Washington Post.

Collins and Grassley also said they were notified by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) that OMB has also not apportioned its funds for the 2026 fiscal year. Established by the CARES Act amid the COVID-19 pandemic, PRAC oversees over $5 trillion in pandemic relief programs and spending.

In their letter, Collins and Grassley criticize the funding decisions, saying that cutting CIGIE’s funding “will disrupt numerous oversight functions,” including oversight.gov.

“We understand from your staff that OMB’s apportionment decision may be part a review of CIGIE and PRAC activities,” Collins and Grassley added. “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.”

The letter requests a response by Friday and asks OMB to clarify the reasoning behind cutting CIRIE and PRAC funding, the legal authority it is relying on, when it plans on funding the agencies and details regarding any reviews of the agencies it is conducting. 

The Hill has reached out to the White House, which oversees OMB, for comment on the letter.

“Our ongoing oversight of CIGIE can provide useful ways to ensure that it operates optimally for the American people — fixes that can be implemented while the entity is funded,” the letter notes.