Two top Democratic appropriators are calling on the Government Accountability Office to issue a legal decision on the Department of Energy’s fiscal year 2025 spending.
House Energy-Water Appropriations ranking member Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) requested the decision on the department’s use of funds following the agency’s recent spending plan that showed sharp reductions for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for the current fiscal year.
Specifically, the pair requested that GAO examine whether DOE’s actions comply with the Purpose Statute — which says appropriations should be applied only to the objects for which the appropriations were made, except as otherwise provided by law — and the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from spending money in excess of available appropriations.
“GAO decisions describe a nexus between Purpose Statute violations and the Antideficiency Act. We are concerned that DOE’s actions may not comply with either statute,” they wrote in a new letter shared with POLITICO.
