U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, has led Democratic members of the committee in requesting information from Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought regarding the use of a $100 million appropriation provided to OMB. The funds were allocated through legislation passed by Republicans last July, known as the Big, Ugly Betrayal law.
The $100 million was designated for “finding budget and accounting efficiencies in the executive branch” and is available through Fiscal Year 2029. This allocation comes on top of OMB’s current annual budget of $129 million, making it a significant increase compared to previous years. Historically, OMB’s annual budget authority has ranged between approximately $120 million and $145 million (in 2025 dollars) over more than four decades, with no prior one-time appropriation approaching this size.
Senate Democrats expressed concern about the broad language used in the statute governing these funds. In their letter they wrote: “the statutory language governing this appropriation is alarmingly broad. The phrase ‘finding budget and accounting efficiencies in the executive branch’ is undefined in statute, is not accompanied by reporting requirements, and places few limits on permissible uses. Without clear guardrails, transparency, and congressional visibility, this funding risks functioning as an OMB discretionary reserve pool or ‘slush fund’ rather than a targeted, accountable investment tied to measurable efficiencies.”
The senators also noted that “these concerns are heightened by the fact that OMB has already apportioned the entirety of the $100 million appropriation, with no explanatory footnotes, despite the funds being available through FY 2029 and despite the absence of any public explanation of how such a rapid, full apportionment aligns with the statute’s purpose. The decision to immediately apportion the full amount—rather than phasing apportionments based on defined projects, timelines, or demonstrated needs—raises serious questions about whether this funding is being treated as a de facto slush fund available at the discretion of the Director, rather than as a narrowly constrained appropriation subject to meaningful oversight.”
In addition to Senator Merkley, other signatories include Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).
The letter calls for Director Vought to provide answers by February 3, 2026 regarding how these funds will be used and what controls will be implemented to ensure compliance with congressional intent.
“Given OMB’s central role in shaping executive branch budget execution, apportionments, and agency operations, it is imperative that Congress understand precisely how these funds will be used, what controls will govern them, and how OMB will ensure that expenditures remain consistent with congressional intent and the law. Simply put, an administration that has touted itself as the ‘most transparent in history’ must provide evidence that these funds are not simply a slush fund to be employed in accordance only with the Director’s whims; indeed, congressional oversight of such an open-ended appropriation is a core function of the Congress,” wrote committee Democrats.
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