Topline
President Donald Trump fired the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday after the official released a report critical of Trump’s efforts to close the agency, marking the latest removal of a government watchdog after more than a dozen officials were let go last month.
More than a dozen officials were fired in January.
Key Facts
Paul Martin—appointed to the role by President Joe Biden in 2023—was notified by the White House on Tuesday that his position as USAID’s inspector general was “terminated, effectively immediately,” according to an email obtained by the Washington Post.
Martin’s office released a report on Monday criticizing the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, including claims suggesting taxpayer-funded humanitarian assistance could unintentionally be sent to terrorist groups and warning more than $489 million in food assistance was at risk of spoilage.
At least 17 inspectors general were reportedly fired in January, including officials for the departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, State, Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Education, Energy, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Labor, Defense, the White House’s Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration and the office overseeing Afghanistan reconstruction.
Inspectors general for some agencies were not fired, however, including the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, the Federal Communications Commission and the Export-Import Bank, Politico reported.
It’s not immediately clear why Trump fired them: Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, suggested “there may be a good reason” the officials were fired, though Grassley said he would “like further explanation” from Trump.
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Chief Critic
Hannibal Ware, inspector general of the Small Business Administration, disputed his removal in an email to the White House while noting the ousted officials “do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient,” the Post reported. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the firings a “chilling purge.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., accused Trump of “dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.” Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., called the wave of firings a “Friday night coup” and an “attack on transparency and accountability,” suggesting Trump’s replacements would be “political hacks.”
What Is An Inspector General?
Congress created the inspector general role in 1978 to improve oversight within federal agencies. The officials carry out independent investigations and audits of federal spending and operations before reporting their findings to Congress and the public.
Can Donald Trump Fire Inspectors General?
Yes and no. Trump has the executive power to remove inspectors general from office, though Congress approved protections for the officials in 2022 requiring the White House to provide a 30-day notice and “substantive rationale” for the decision. If Trump notified the inspectors general of their dismissal shortly after his inauguration on Jan. 20, the officials would have been removed by Feb. 19.
Have Inspector Generals Been Fired Before?
Shortly after President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration in 1981, Reagan fired all 15 acting inspectors general before replacing them with his nominees, according to the Congressional Research Service. Reagan later rehired about half of the ousted officials. President Barack Obama removed the inspector general of the Corporation for National Community Service in 2009. President Joe Biden removed an inspector general from the Railroad Retirement Board in 2024. Trump removed five inspectors general during his first term in 2020, including Michael Atkinson, who alerted Congress to a whistleblower complaint that resulted in Trump’s first impeachment.
Key Background
Trump has removed several Biden administration officials and appointees since returning to the White House. The Trump administration placed all diversity, equity and inclusion employees on leave and reassigned at least 20 DOJ officials on Tuesday. This move followed shortly after Trump dismissed celebrity chef José Andrés from the President’s Council on Sports, retired Gen. Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council and his former Iran envoy, Brian Hook, from the Wilson Center for Scholars think tank. Other executive orders carried out by Trump addressed federal employees, including a hiring suspension and directing agencies from utilizing work-from-home programs. Trump signaled broader cuts across the federal government in the lead-up to his election, adding to his announcement of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
