Government watchdog plans to launch at least 30 probes into the Trump administration's coronavirus response by the end of April

• The Government Accountability Office, a watchdog group that reports to Congress, plans to launch at least 30 reviews and audits into the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis, Politico reported.
• The wide-ranging effort plans to probe possible failings in the billions of dollars in federal funds and widespread administration efforts to address the coronavirus.
• Trump has little control over the office, as it reports to Congress.
• "We're moving forward very quickly," Angela Nicole Clowers, who heads the GAO's healthcare unit, told Politico.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Congress' in-house government watchdog plans to launch a wide-ranging barrage of audits and probes into the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Politico reported that the U.S. Government Accountability Office aims to launch at least 30 of these "engagements," in GAO parlance, by the end of April, according to senior investigators.

The inquiries come as governors and critics pressure the White House on the current lack of available testing, which its own plan says is required for a gradual reopening of the economy. The Trump administration has also faced recent scrutiny about the distribution of stimulus checks to Americans, many of whom have not yet received their funds.

And because the GAO does not answer to the Trump administration, and is required to brief Congress on their findings, it could potentially become a thorn in the side of an executive branch that has shown hostility to federal watchdogs during the coronavirus crisis.

The GAO did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

They are expected to investigate multiple facets of the government's coronavirus response and the overall public health crisis, Politico reports, including the rollout of the government's stimulus checks, and the distribution of medical and personal protective equipment.

The GAO's "Watch Blog" also details how members of the public can report fraud related to the coronavirus relief funds.

The new investigations will be bolstered by a fresh wave of funding: The GAO received an additional $20 million in funding from the CARES Act, the massive $2 billion stimulus and relief program passed by Congress in late March. In addition, GAO is required to brief Congress each month, and produce a bimonthly report on their findings.

"We're moving forward very quickly,"Angela Nicole Clowers, head of the office's health care unit, told Politico.

"Within GAO, we have everyone from policy analysts or public policy people like myself," she said. "We have nurses, we have scientists, we have engineers, we have lawyers. You sort of name an occupation, we have 'em."

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