WASHINGTON — The Trump administration dismissed approximately 17 independent inspectors general across various government agencies. This sweeping removal of oversight has prompted some lawmakers to allege violations of federal oversight laws.
The dismissals, effective immediately, began Friday evening, according to two anonymous sources familiar with the matter. While the precise number of firings remains unconfirmed, an email from a dismissed inspector general indicated that “roughly 17” were removed.
Congress received no 30-day advance notice of these removals, a requirement criticized even by a leading Republican.
“While there might be justification for these dismissals, we need to know the reasons,” stated Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I require further clarification from President Trump. However, the 30-day notice mandated by law was not provided to Congress,” added Grassley (R-Iowa).
The White House offered no immediate response on Saturday. President Donald Trump was in Las Vegas delivering a speech focused on his campaign pledge to eliminate federal taxes on tips.
These actions align with the president’s early days back in office, marked by efforts to restructure the federal government. Trump’s actions range from using executive orders to implement hiring freezes and curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to suggesting the closure of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, leaving disaster response to individual states.
The modern inspector general’s role emerged after the Watergate scandal, with Congress establishing agency offices to independently monitor for mismanagement and abuse of power. Although presidential appointees, some inspectors general serve under presidents from both parties and are expected to remain nonpartisan.
“Last night, President Trump dismissed at least 12 independent inspectors general at key federal agencies,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced Saturday on the Senate floor. “This is a concerning purge and indicative of the administration’s increasingly lawless approach.”
Schumer suggested the dismissals may be unlawful, highlighting them as evidence of a “golden age for government abuse and even corruption.”
The Washington Post, which first reported the firings, noted that many of those dismissed were appointees from Trump’s first term. Affected agencies reportedly included Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and Education.
However, Michael Horowitz, the long-serving Justice Department inspector general who has issued reports on numerous politically sensitive criminal investigations, was not dismissed.
For example, in December 2019, Horowitz released a report criticizing the FBI’s handling of surveillance warrant applications in the investigation into Russia’s ties to Trump’s 2016 campaign. However, the report also found the investigation’s initiation was legitimate and uncovered no evidence of partisan bias.
Democrats reacted strongly to the firings.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) emphasized inspectors general’s critical role in uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government, calling the mass firings “alarming.”
Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, termed the firings a “coup to overthrow legally protected independent inspectors general.”
He also suggested that this early move in Trump’s second term might clear the way to replace them with loyalists sympathetic to the administration.
“Replacing independent inspectors general with political appointees will harm every American who relies on social security, veterans benefits, and fair IRS hearings,” Connolly stated.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called Trump’s actions “a purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night.”
“Inspectors general are tasked 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.”
Trump has historically challenged the authority of independent agency oversight groups.
In 2020, he replaced several key inspectors general, including those leading the Defense Department and intelligence community, as well as the inspector general heading a special oversight board for the $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic relief package.
—Weissert reported from Las Vegas. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.