The federal government's top watchdog has retired. Now Congress has to pick a replacement.
Source: Politico
12/30/2025 10:00 AM EST
For the first time in nearly two decades, Congress is on the hunt for a new boss at the federal government’s top watchdog agency. With the retirement of comptroller general Gene Dodaro, longtime Government Accountability Office employee Orice Williams Brown is stepping in to lead the more-than-3,000-person agency in an acting capacity.
Congressional leaders are now supposed to recommend candidates for President Donald Trump to nominate for a 15-year term. If confirmed by the Senate, that person will lead the agency as it works through dozens of investigations into whether the Trump administration broke the law throughout 2025 by withholding billions of dollars Congress previously approved.
“We’re going to look for someone who’s honest,” Sen. Rand Paul said in an interview. “I think it would be a mistake to get somebody who’s been real active in political processes.” As chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Kentucky Republican is by law granted a seat on the bipartisan panel of 10 lawmakers tasked with recommending at least three potential replacements for Trump to consider nominating.
Paul and many other top Republicans on Capitol Hill are fans of GAO. But this past year, other conservatives and Trump’s senior advisers have openly ridiculed the legislative branch office charged with auditing federal agencies, aiding lawmakers in carrying out their constitutional duties and challenging White House actions that encroach on Congress’ power.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/30/congress-trump-gao-search-00706651
I posted this in a thread in May - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3465260
Created by - Budget and Accounting Act of 1921
Originally named the "Government Accounting Office" and later renamed to the "Government Accountability Office".
In this case, like the Library of Congress, the President appoints the head (the Comptroller General for the GAO), but it is managed by Congress (including any other positions).
The GOP uses it quite a bit when a Democratic President is in charge.
= new reply since forum marked as read
