President Donald Trump terminated the independent inspectors general from over a dozen federal agencies. effective immediately. An inspector general is often referred to as a cabinet department’s watchdog and responsible for policing efficiency and corruption among other things, with a definition from the Department of Homeland Security reading that “[they] conduct independent and objective audits and investigations relating to DHS programs and operations.”
Per USA TODAY, as many as 17 were let go without notice by email, despite federal law requiring 30 days notice to Congress to remove an inspector general. The inspectors general are independent watchdogs within agencies who investigate and disclose waste, fraud and abuse.
An email late Friday from Sergio Gor, the head of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, was sent to agency inspectors informing them that “changing priorities” led to their positions being “terminated, effective immediately” — which included those in the departments of State, Energy, the Interior, Defense and Transportation. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUB) Inspector General Inspector Rae Oliver Davis was among those let go, along with the inspector generals from the departments of housing, education, agriculture, commerce, interior, labor and transportation among those fired. Inspector generals at the Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs and State Department were also among those terminated.
Minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the move, writing on X: “In the dark of night, President Trump fired at least 12 independent inspector generals at important federal agencies across the Administration. A chilling purge. It’s a preview of the lawless approach Donald Trump and his administration is taking to being President … Donald Trump’s decision to fire twelve of the federal government’s independent watchdogs is a glaring sign that it’s a Golden Age for corruption and abuse in government.”
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