Trump Admin Suspends Budget Tracker Citing National Security
When a government tool meant to promote transparency suddenly disappears — and the official explanation is "national security," as the Minnesota Reformer reports — people tend to notice.
That's exactly what's happening in Washington right now. The White House is facing two lawsuits over its decision to discontinue a publicly accessible spending tracker that showed how tax dollars were being spent.
The lawsuits accuse the Trump administration of hiding vital financial information from the public — and potentially violating federal law.
What Was the Spending Tracker?
The tracker was a public-facing website operated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), designed to show when and how the administration was allocating funds appropriated by Congress. In government-speak, these were called "apportionments" — essentially the greenlights federal agencies need before spending taxpayer money, according to The Hill.
It was more than just a wonky budget tool. Journalists, lawmakers, watchdog groups, and everyday citizens used it to monitor federal spending decisions in real time. And it wasn't optional — the Biden-era Congress had passed bipartisan legislation requiring the tracker's existence, citing the need for transparency and oversight.
But in late March, with no public notice, the tracker went dark.
The Official Justification
OMB Director Russell Vought defended the removal in a letter to Congress, claiming the apportionments included "sensitive, predecisional, and deliberative information" that could compromise internal government decision-making. According to the Minnesota Reformer, Vought said, "Moreover, apportionments may contain sensitive information, the automatic public disclosure of which may pose a danger to national security and foreign policy."
Vought also argued, "Such disclosures have a chilling effect on the deliberations within the Executive Branch. Indeed, these disclosure provisions have already adversely impacted the candor contained in OMB's communications with agencies and have undermined OMB's effectiveness in supervising agency spending."
But critics — and now federal courts — aren't buying it.
Lawsuits Demand Answers
Two separate lawsuits, one filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and another by the nonprofit Protect Democracy, demand that the tracker be restored. The suits argue that taking the site offline violates statutory requirements set by Congress — specifically, those designed to keep the executive branch from impounding funds or spending them in secret.
The Protect Democracy complaint, as reported by the Guardian, spelled it out, saying, "Congress mandated prompt transparency for apportionments to prevent abuses of power and strengthen Congress's and the public's oversight of the spending process. Absent this transparency, the president and OMB may abuse their authority over the apportionment of federal funds without public or congressional scrutiny or accountability."
In other words, the public is flying blind — and that's not how it's supposed to work.
GAO Pushes Back
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, has weighed in — and it didn't mince words.
In a letter to OMB, reported by FedScoop, GAO said the budget office's justification doesn't hold up. The letter said, "As apportionments are legally binding decisions on agencies under the Antideficiency Act, we note that such information, by definition, cannot be predecisional or deliberative."
GAO also rejected the national security argument, stating that while some apportionment data might contain sensitive elements, "it is certainly not the case that all apportionment data meets that standard."
Why You Should Care
This isn't just about a spreadsheet buried in some bureaucratic corner of the internet. It's about how power is used — and checked — in Washington.
The tracker provided the only public insight into the executive branch's use of congressionally appropriated funds — regardless of who's in power. Without it, it becomes much harder for Congress, journalists, and watchdogs to know if the White House is delaying or redirecting money for political reasons — a practice known as "impoundment," which is generally prohibited by law, according to the Minnesota Reformer.
And that's not just theoretical. The Trump administration has previously been accused of trying to reroute money away from congressional intent, especially in areas like foreign aid and immigration enforcement.
Both lawsuits are working their way through federal court in Washington, D.C. One of them has already been assigned to a judge, and the other could be fast-tracked due to the potential implications for congressional oversight.
Lawmakers — mostly Democrats — have demanded the data be restored immediately. But unless the courts intervene, it's unclear whether the tracker will come back online.
References: Watchdog group sues White House after government spending tracker removed | Lawsuit filed after Trump's budget office shuts down public information about spending | GAO says OMB takedown of apportionments website violates federal statutes | Trump administration sued after taking down public spending tracker
