1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my grave concern and demand immediate action regarding the decision to defund the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). This move represents a direct and harmful effort to undermine independent oversight within the federal government and circumvent Congress’s authority over federal spending. I urge you to use the full weight of your office to press for the immediate release of CIGIE's blocked funds. The work CIGIE performs is essential to ensuring accountability across all federal agencies. CIGIE is the crucial umbrella organization that supports the government’s 72 Inspectors General (IGs), providing necessary training, quality standards for investigations, and critical cross-agency oversight. Its mission is to help IGs root out waste, fraud, and corruption on behalf of the American public. The practical impact of this defunding is immediate and severe. As Acting Chair Tammy Hull noted, if the funds are not released, the public website where IGs post their reports—a repository of decades of oversight and recommendations on saving taxpayer money—will go dark. Worse, the mandatory hotline and whistleblower links for the public to report allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse will also disappear. Silencing whistleblowers and hiding vital public information is unacceptable in a democracy. This action follows a pattern of attempts to weaken independent oversight, including the recent firing of 17 Inspectors General without the legally required notice or detailed rationale provided to Congress. Defunding CIGIE is not just a budget maneuver; it is an end run around the legislative branch designed to hobble the very watchdogs tasked with keeping government honest. I ask that you publicly condemn this decision and work with your colleagues in the Senate and House to compel the administration to release CIGIE’s funding immediately. The functionality of our independent watchdogs must not be compromised for partisan or retaliatory reasons. The ability of the American people to hold their government accountable depends on it. Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your strong and decisive response.