EXCLUSIVE: Trump Official Blasts ‘Politicized’ Agency For Questioning Its Authority To Rein In Spending

The Trump administration is torching a congressional watchdog for questioning its authority to slash government bloat.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, under the leadership of Acting Director Russ Vought, sharply criticized the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Thursday for challenging the Bureau’s power to not request additional funds for the remainder of the fiscal year, in a letter exclusively obtained by the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation. The Bureau argues that GAO’s inquiry about the entity’s budget authority is the latest attempt by the congressional watchdog “undermine” the Trump administration’s commitment to cut federal spending.

The conclusion GAO apparently seeks — that the Acting Director’s decision to decline to draw down unneeded funds constituted an illegal impoundment under the ICA — is diametrically opposed to the purpose of the ICA itself and would compel the Acting Director to draw down funds that CFPB has no need for and no intention to spend,” CFPB chief legal officer Mark Paoletta wrote in a response to a letter from GAO questioning the Bureau’s budget authority.

The Trump administration has sought to rein in the CFPB — formed in 2011 under the auspices of Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — arguing the Bureau is a prime example of government overreach and lacks accountability for imposing burdensome regulations on businesses and consumers.

Vought — who also serves as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) — has consistently argued that the CFPB does not need additional funding to carry out its duties and can utilize unspent funding in future fiscal years.

“The Bureau’s current balance of $711.6 million is in fact excessive in the current fiscal environment,” Vought