The Trump administration has fired about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies, a sweeping action to remove oversight of his new administration that some members of Congress are already saying has violated federal oversight laws.
The dismissals began Friday night and were effective immediately. An email sent by one of the fired inspectors general said “roughly 17” inspectors general had been removed. Trump confirmed the move, claiming, “it’s a very common thing to do.” He said he would “put good people in there that will be very good.” Congress was not given the legally required 30-day notices about the removals — something that even a top Republican is decrying.
The role of the modern-day inspector general dates to post-Watergate Washington, when Congress installed offices inside agencies as an independent check against mismanagement and abuse of power. Though inspectors general are presidential appointees, some serve presidents of both parties. All are expected to be nonpartisan.
Democrats and watchdog groups, however, used the dismissals to raise alarm that Trump was making it easier to take advantage of the government. “Inspectors General are the cops on the beat preventing bad things from happening,” Max Stier, president and CEO of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, said in a statement. “Their work saves the taxpayer tens of billions of dollars every year.”
“Yesterday, in the dark of night, President Trump fired at least 12 independent inspector generals at important federal agencies across the administration,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Saturday on the chamber’s floor. “This is a chilling purge and it’s a preview of the lawless approach Donald Trump and his administration are taking far too often as he’s becoming president.”
Schumer said the dismissals are “possibly in violation of federal law” and help demonstrate that the move “is a glaring sign that it’s a golden age for abuse in government and even corruption.”
The Washington Post, which first reported the firings, said that many were appointees from Trump’s first term. Among those inspectors general reportedly removed included those for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense and Education.
In a lengthy statement Saturday, Hannibal Ware, the chairman of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, suggested that the firings violated the legal requirements that presidents notify Congress 30 days before firing an inspector general and provide a detailed rationale for the decision.” “IG's are not immune from removal. However, the law must be followed to protect independent government oversight for America,” the statement said.
Spared in this round of dismissals, however, was Michael Horowitz, the longtime Justice Department inspector general who in December 2019 released a report faulting the FBI for surveillance warrant applications in the investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Horowitz’s status aside, the move against the watchdogs drew criticism from congressional Democrats. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., noted that inspectors general are “critical to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government.” The mass firings were “alarming,” she said.
Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, a Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, called it a “coup to overthrow legally protected independent inspectors general. Replacing independent inspectors general with political hacks will harm every American who relies on social security, veterans benefits, and a fair hearing at IRS on refunds and audits,” Connolly said.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called Trump’s actions “a purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night.” “Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse, and preventing misconduct,” Warren posted on X. “President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.”
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