President Donald Trump Fired Inspectors General from Over a Dozen Federal Agencies
President Donald Trump fired the inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies on Friday night, according to a Trump administration official. The move paves the way for Trump to install his own picks for the independent watchdog roles.
The firings affected a broad swath of the federal government, including the departments of State, Energy, the Interior, Defense, and Transportation. Agency inspectors general received an email late Friday from Sergio Gor, the head of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, informing them that “changing priorities” had led to their positions being “terminated” effective immediately.
During Trump’s first term, he gutted his administration of independent government watchdogs he saw as disloyal. Inspectors general conduct investigations and audits into any potential malfeasance, fraud, waste, or abuse by a government agency or its personnel, and issue reports and recommendations on their findings. An IG office is intended to operate independently.
Partly in reaction to Trump’s last IG firings, Congress built new guardrails intended to protect them. A 2022 law requires the White House to provide substantive rationale for terminating any inspector general. However, the White House did not provide the required 30-day notice to Congress before the firings.
Trump said Saturday night that “I did it because it’s a very common thing to do,” adding that “not all of them” were removed. He also claimed that some people thought that some of the IGs were unfair or were not doing their job.
The chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, Hannibal “Mike” Ware, said in a statement Saturday that the law regarding removing inspectors general must be followed. Ware highlighted the nonpartisan nature of IGs and detailed their functions, saying that IGs work every day on behalf of American taxpayers to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs and operations.
Republican senators, including Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, expressed concern about the firings, saying they were not given any heads-up or explanation for the White House’s decision. Some GOP senators also questioned the widespread nature of the firings and the lack of notice.
Democrats slammed the dismissals, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling the move “a chilling purge” and warning that the firings could kick off “a golden age for abuse in government, and even corruption.”
