Senior Democratic lawmakers, Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, have raised concerns regarding the Trump administration's handling of federal agency budget submissions required by law.

In a letter addressed to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, the lawmakers accused the administration of presenting spending plans for fiscal year 2025 that lack consistency and detail.

The letter highlights a legal requirement established by a provision in legislation passed in March to prevent a government shutdown and fund federal operations through September 2025. This provision mandated that departments and agencies submit comprehensive spending, expenditure, or operating plans within 45 days of the law's enactment.

The lawmakers indicated that while some spending plans have been received, many remain overdue, with several documents missing critical funding information at the direction of the OMB.

Murray and DeLauro criticized a spending plan from the Department of Health and Human Services for containing only high-level funding figures, devoid of specifics on numerous programs that citizens rely on.

They noted the presence of 530 asterisks in the plan, representing missing details on how the administration intends to allocate funding for essential services.

Furthermore, the proposed budget for the Education Department was described as lacking details on various programs and including nearly $13 billion classified as 'unallocated.' The lawmakers pointed out that a revised spending plan sent later still lacked adequate information and highlighted $8 billion as unallocated funding, with numerous programs omitted entirely, despite the fiscal year approaching its end.

Murray and DeLauro called for compliance with the statutory requirement by the end of the month, demanding complete submissions that sufficiently outline funding allocation for all programs and activities as Congress prepares for fiscal year 2026 appropriations.

This request comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the OMB, as Democratic lawmakers have expressed frustration over perceived deficiencies in federal spending transparency.

Additionally, a few weeks prior, bipartisan calls from both Democratic and Republican appropriators urged the restoration of public access to a previously available OMB website that detailed agency funding distributions.