DOGE tried assigning a team to the Government Accountability Office. They refused

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The Department of Government Efficiency is continuing its attempts to grow its scope beyond enforcement subdivision agencies, this clip seeking to embed successful an autarkic legislative watchdog that finds waste, fraud and maltreatment successful the government.

But the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a legislative subdivision entity that helps audit authorities spending and suggest ways to marque it much efficient, rejected that petition connected Friday by noting that GAO is not taxable to statesmanlike enforcement orders.

The petition to GAO had cited President Trump's Jan. 20 enforcement bid creating DOGE, which, contempt its name, is not a ceremonial agency.

DOGE's petition to GAO and its effect was archetypal reported by NOTUS.

A spokesperson for GAO confirmed DOGE's outreach, and reiterated that "as a legislative subdivision agency, GAO is not taxable to Executive Orders and has truthful declined immoderate requests to person a DOGE squad assigned to GAO."

In an announcement to employees posted Friday afternoon, GAO enactment said they sent a missive to Acting Administrator of DOGE Amy Gleason with their response, arsenic good arsenic notified members of Congress, according to a transcript of the announcement shared with NPR by an worker not authorized to talk publicly.

The GAO regularly releases reports that item ways to amended authorities efficiency, similar a May 13 review of national programs with fragmented, overlapping, oregon duplicative actions it says could prevention implicit $100 cardinal successful spending. But there's been small overlap betwixt GAO's enactment and DOGE's actions truthful far.

"DOGE's attempted intrusion into an independent, nonpartisan legislative subdivision bureau is simply a nonstop battle connected our nation's ineffable separation of powers," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., apical Democrat connected the House Oversight Committee, which oversees GAO, successful a connection to NPR. "DOGE cannot and indispensable not person immoderate entree to GAO. Oversight Democrats are monitoring this concern intimately and basal down GAO's well-established presumption arsenic a captious legislative subdivision agency."

The White House did not instantly respond to a petition for remark astir DOGE's attempts to spot a squad astatine GAO.

It's not the archetypal clip DOGE has sought to embed staffers astatine an enactment extracurricular of the enforcement branch. In caller weeks, DOGE representatives person been successful interaction with respective privately incorporated nonprofits that were created by Congress and person national backing but are not considered authorities agencies, arsenic good arsenic astatine slightest 1 nonprofit that was established with nary narration to Congress.

DOGE tried to assign a squad to reappraisal operations astatine the Corporation for Public Broadcasting successful April, a time aft Trump attempted to fire 3 committee members, according to filings successful a suit brought by CPB challenging Trump's move.

CPB denied that request, citing national instrumentality stating that the enactment "will not beryllium an bureau oregon constitution of the United States Government."

DOGE's overreach was adjacent much utmost erstwhile it approached the Vera Institute of Justice, a backstage nonprofit that has received national grants, but was not created by Congress, astir assigning a squad there.

In an Apr. 15 telephone with Vera Institute leadership, a DOGE typical said DOGE's outreach was astir interrogating "every institute oregon bureau that has Congressional monies appropriated to it," according to notes Vera Institute unit shared with NPR.

After Vera unit told the DOGE typical that the Department of Justice had terminated the organization's grants, helium said his petition to embed into Vera was "void."

Do you person accusation astir DOGE outreach to autarkic agencies and nongovernmental organizations? Reach retired to the authors done encrypted communications connected Signal. Stephen Fowler is disposable connected Signal astatine stphnfwlr.25.  Shannon Bond is astatine shannonbond.01. Please usage a nonwork device.