Appropriators approve Legislative Branch spending bill with GAO cuts

Source: Roll Call

Posted May 21, 2026 at 6:36am


The House Appropriations Committee advanced a draft fiscal 2027 Legislative Branch spending bill on Wednesday that would slash the budget for the Government Accountability Office by nearly one-quarter and give a boost to Capitol Police. The party-line vote of 34-28 came after a contentious markup stretching late into the evening, as Democrats argued the GAO cut would undermine its mission.

“The keyword in the GAO is accountability,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the ranking member on the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee. “This is not budgeting, it is giving away our oversight authority.”. The measure would provide $611.9 million for the GAO, a cut of 25 percent compared to fiscal 2026, and would bar it from suing under the 1974 budget law restricting presidential impoundments, unless specifically authorized by Congress.

Now that the committee has approved the spending proposal, it is expected to be up for floor consideration at a later date. Overall, the measure would provide $5.4 billion for operations of the House and its various support agencies. Adding in an estimate of Senate-only funds, the total would come to $7.3 billion. “Fundamentally, this legislation is about stewardship, ensuring that Congress serves the nation, is responsive to its citizens and invests taxpayer dollars responsibly,” said House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla.

Ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said the GAO move runs counter to Republicans’ goal of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. “GAO is what DOGE pretended to be — a force for efficiency within the federal government,” DeLauro said, referring to the Trump administration’s sweeping purge of federal programs.

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/05/21/appropriators-approve-legislative-branch-spending-bill-with-gao-cuts/