The House Appropriations Subcommittee charged with writing spending bills for Congress’s own operations has proposed drastically slashing the budgets of two legislative branch agencies responsible for oversight and accountability of federal spending. Under draft text released Sunday, the Library of Congress (LOC) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) would see their budgets cut by 10 percent and 49 percent, respectively, compared to current spending levels. Cuts of this magnitude would severely hamper Congress’s ability to ensure the administration implements federal spending according to congressional direction.

The Library of Congress and Government Accountability Office are agencies Congress established to support its own operations. The LOC is the nation’s library, copyright office and Congress’s research arm, providing unbiased nonpartisan (and sometimes confidential) analysis to Members of Congress and their staff as they contemplate and draft legislation. The GAO serves a more investigatory role, conducting, at the direction of Congress, both programmatic reviews and financial audits of federal agencies. Together the two agencies ensure Congress has both the tools to craft appropriate legislation to address national concerns and the means to ensure that any administration follows the intent and direction of Congress in implementing those programs. Slashing the budgets of these agencies will lead to less oversight and accountability.

Such a drastic reduction in spending for GAO and LOC would be an example of constitutional self-immolation. Both the GAO and LOC are agencies created to work for and answer to the legislative branch (the House and Senate) rather than the executive (President). Just as the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was created to ensure Congress would not have to rely on the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to provide revenue and spending estimates of legislation, the LOC and GAO were specifically designed to be insulated from the partisan politics that dominate the White House and leadership at federal agencies.

This proposal to gut the legislative branch agencies is clearly an attempt to cower into submission an effective check on executive power. Of its many responsibilities, the GAO is tasked by Congress to report whether the executive is following the law in managing federal spending. Specifically, GAO has legal authority to review whether the president is legally withholding spending under the Budget and Impoundment Control Act. In May, it was reported that the GAO had 39 active investigations into whether the Trump Administration is illegally withholding federal funds. The GAO has already determined that the administration has violated the ICA in at least two instances. Additional determinations are expected to be announced soon. In addition to the funding cut, the bill includes a provision that would attempt to stifle those determinations.

Notably the House appropriators don’t pursue cost-cutting for their own offices. The Salaries and Expenses account for the House of Representatives, which funds the operations and paychecks of Members of Congress and their staff, receives a 5.6 percent boost. Similarly, the Capitol Police, which provide security for the Capitol, House and Senate office buildings, and leadership, receive a 10.4 percent increase.

House appropriators have an opportunity to fix this self-defeating harmful attack on Congress’s ability to conduct its constitutionally obligated power to manage our nation’s finances. Taxpayers deserve an independent and effective Congress. Maintaining the independence of the Library of Congress and Government Accountability Office is key to Making Congressional Accountability and oversight Great Again.