CFPB’s Vought: Government Accountability Office ‘Should Not Exist’

Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget and interim director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has called for the closing of the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Axios reports Vought made his thoughts known during a speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, DC. This comes after the GAO published reports this year stating the Trump administration ran afoul of several federal laws, with at least one report specifically citing Vought.

“We’re not big fans of GAO,” Vought said. “They are a quasi-legislative independent entity and something that shouldn’t exist.”

According to the GAO’s website, the agency said it “provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars. Our work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is statutorily required by public laws or committee reports, per our Congressional Protocols.”

Gene Dodaro, the comptroller general of the GAO, responded to Vought’s comments in a statement that said, “Clearly Russell Vought does not value transparency and accountability. GAO’s mission is to support Congress in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities. During my tenure as Comptroller General alone, GAO has saved taxpayers over $1.2 trillion and resulted in tens of thousands of improvements to how federal programs work.”

Dodaro has been serving a 15-year term since December 2010, when the Obama administration was in the White House. President Trump has not announced who will replace Dodaro when his term expires at the end of the year.