The Trump Administration Fires About 17 Independent Inspectors General, Raising alarms about Government Oversight
The Trump administration has fired about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies, a move that has sparked widespread alarm about the president’s efforts to dismantle government oversight. The dismissals, which were effective immediately, were met with swift condemnation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The firings began on Friday night, with the email sent by one of the fired inspectors general referencing “roughly 17” inspectors general removed from their positions. The Trump administration failed to provide Congress with 30-day notices of the removals, as required by law.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed concerns about the dismissals, stating that “the law demands was not provided to Congress.” Even a top Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham, acknowledged that the firings violated statutes, but shrugged it off, saying “Just tell them you need to follow the law next time.”
The role of the modern-day inspector general dates back to post-Watergate Washington, when Congress installed offices inside agencies as an independent check against mismanagement and abuse of power. Although inspectors general are presidential appointees, some serve presidents of both parties, and all are expected to be nonpartisan.
Democrats and watchdog groups have used the dismissals to raise alarm over the administration’s efforts to erode government oversight. “Inspectors General are the cops on the beat preventing bad things from happening,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. “Their work saves the taxpayer tens of billions of dollars every year.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., noted that inspectors general are “critical to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government,” while Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., called it a “coup to overthrow legally protected independent inspectors general.” Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts accused Trump of “purging independent watchdogs in the middle of the night.”
The dismissals have been met with criticism from both sides, with even some Republicans speaking out against the move. As the Trump administration continues to reorganize the federal government, the firings of the independent inspectors general have raised concerns about the potential for increased corruption and abuse of power.
