Late Friday, the White House conducted a sweeping purge against more than a dozen inspectors general, who are the watchdogs guarding against waste, fraud, and abuse at federal agencies. The New York Times initially reported that a total of 17 inspectors general got the axe, then later revised that number down to “at least 12” — noting there were “competing lists circulating in Washington on Saturday morning” regarding who had been terminated. The Washington Post reports that at least 15 were fired, and that the purge was likely illegal, since federal law requires Congress be given at least 30 days notice of the intent to fire a Senate-confirmed inspector general. No explanation was given for the terminations, either.
Per the Post, the fired inspectors general were from many of the largest agencies, including:
• Agriculture Department
• Commerce Department
• Defense Department
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Health and Human Services
• Housing and Urban Development
• Interior Department
• Small Business Administration
• Social Security Administration
• State Department
• Transportation Department
• Veterans Affairs Department
In addition:
The acting inspector general of the Treasury Department was also informed that he would be dismissed. But that person is a career civil servant who assumed the job in December after the appointed inspector general resigned, meaning he can be demoted but not fired outright, according to federal personnel rules, people familiar with the matter said.
Though the Trump team had been reportedly looking to target several inspectors general in its big opening blitz after Trump took power, the scale of Friday night’s purge still came as a surprise to many, as the Post notes:
Most of those dismissed were Trump appointees from his first term, which stunned the watchdog community. One prominent inspector general survived the purge — Michael Horowitz at the Justice Department, an appointee of President Barack Obama who has issued reports critical of both the Biden administration and Trump’s first administration.
“It’s a widespread massacre,” said one of the fired inspectors general. “Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system.”
The emails informing the watchdogs of their dismissals rippled across the agencies Friday. Another fired inspector general learned of his ouster by reading the email for the first time while on the phone with a Washington Post reporter who had called to ask about it. The person reacted by saying the new administration “does not want anyone in this role who is going to be independent.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren quickly warned that “Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.” One of the inspectors responded to the White House questioning the legality, as well:
It’s not clear if Senate GOP leaders will try to push back — or at least push back harder than this:
