Oversight
Instagram, comic books and public engagement: One watchdog’s plan to protect inspector general independence
Lucy Lang, the inspector general for New York state, argued in an interview with Government Executive that IGs should prioritize improving the public’s trust in government — both through investigations and making sure citizens know that oversight is happening.
Oversight of nuclear material security cut back due to civil service reductions, GAO finds
The Government Accountability Office also reported that the National Nuclear Security Administration has more than lost its recent hiring gains.
Trump’s IG pick at the VA is ‘watering down’ oversight, some employees allege
As the Veterans Affairs inspector general faces mounting workforce challenges, some employees and former watchdogs raise questions about the office's trajectory.
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HUD’s staffing cuts hurt certain housing services, watchdog finds
Housing organizations told the Government Accountability Office that they now face more obstacles getting in touch with department employees in a timely manner.
Labor has mostly stopped checking whether federal contractors are following disability rules
A watchdog found that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has no plans to restart routine audits, leaving less oversight of protections for workers with disabilities.
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Watchdog to examine summertime hack of DHS information network, other incidents
The Government Accountability Office is expected to flag that the Homeland Security Department delayed in notifying Congress of the incidents, according to a person familiar with the review.
Cut first, measure later: Watchdogs find problems across foreign affairs agency reorganizations
Among the findings, the inspector general for the State Department reported that the government is spending $3.2 million biweekly on administrative leave for employees who received reduction in force notices last year.
Housing finance agency chief moves to slash watchdog’s budget, leading Democrats to demand his resignation
The Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general said that budget cuts would force the office to reduce its staffing by up to 80% and effectively stop criminal investigations.
Trump’s new Education IG nominee continues dizzying run of leadership changes at the watchdog office
Mark Priebe — the nominee, who recently served as acting inspector general at the Education Department — has defended the president’s mass firing of inspectors general and appears to have supported Trump on social media.
Dozens of federal immigration employees stayed in sensitive positions despite security concerns, inspector general reports
Homeland Security Department officials pushed back on the report, contending that “[i]t is simply incorrect to suggest that these employees occupied national security positions for years without appropriate vetting.”
Watchdog won’t discipline agencies over partisan shutdown posts but warns against ‘derogatory’ messaging
Many departments blamed congressional Democrats for last year’s funding lapse by posting banners on agency websites and modifying furloughed employees’ out-of-office messages.
ICE’s $45 billion detention expansion is littered with costly missteps, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office criticized plans to sell recently purchased warehouses, the shuttered “Alligator Alcatraz” facility and spending millions to detain an average of 16 migrants in fiscal 2026 at Guantanamo Bay.
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Congress — not the president — should appoint the next GAO head, bipartisan coalition argues
The organizations from across the political spectrum contended that former Comptroller General Gene Dodaro’s retirement last year provides an opportunity for lawmakers to overhaul the nomination process.
Interior watchdog clears official over agency work involving his former oil industry employer
The inspector general for the Interior Department has faced scrutiny due to the installation of a political appointee in the office, but the watchdog’s former leader said that the outcome of this ethics investigation “seems legitimate.”
Agencies spent nearly $10 billion for feds not to work in 2025
The use of paid administrative leave as part of the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, an effort to entice federal workers to quit, across government in 2025 was 435% higher than two years prior, according to a new GAO report.
Hatch Act complaints against Trump officials continue to pile up as investigations go on for nearly a year
Attorney General Todd Blanche and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are the latest administration officials to be accused of breaking the ethics law.
Musk should testify about overstated savings from DHS contract cancellations, Democrats argue
The Government Accountability Office reported that contract terminations pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency yielded a net of $92 million — much less than the Homeland Security Department’s public report of as much as $10.5 billion in potential savings.
Inspectors general are facing an identity crisis. Here’s how some former IGs would preserve the watchdogs’ independence
A panel of former leaders of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency made several recommendations for reforming the group, which has been targeted by the Trump administration.
Federal disability employment program faced widespread compliance problems, whistleblower investigation finds
The AbilityOne Commission countered that “many of the compliance concerns cited by [the Office of Special Counsel] occurred during periods of operational disruption, including the pandemic.”
DHS watchdog says Noem-era policy hampered probe into FEMA employees skipping homes with Trump signs
Auditors found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency also did not provide consistent Hatch Act training to employees.
Lawmakers call for watchdog review of DOT’s passenger privacy practices
The Transportation Department “has never taken a single enforcement action related to privacy,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, said in a letter to the Government Accountability Office.
