Trump fires 17 inspectors general in rapid push to reshape federal government

The first week of President Donald Trump's new term in office has been marked by a flurry of activity, with administration officials taking swift steps to purge the bureaucracy of potentially problematic players.

To that end, as Fox News notes, Trump on Friday fired 17 watchdogs from a range of federal agencies as part of his massive government overhaul efforts, a move that has courted both praise and criticism.

Multiple IGs fired in reform push

The impacted inspectors general hail from a host of federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Energy Department, the State Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to name a few.

Impacted individuals received notice via an email message from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, according to the Washington Post.

The communication from White House personnel director Sergio Gor explained that “changing priorities” within the new administration were the reason for the dismissals.

Inspectors general across federal agencies work to probe scenarios that may involve government waste, abuse, and fraud, and they are said to operate independently and often span diverse administrations.

Adding a potential twist to the situation is the fact that, as Reuters reports, back in 2022, lawmakers added new protections for IGs that made it harder for the executive to fire them, safeguards that may come into play in the wake of Trump's action.

Reactions pour in

Immediately critical of the president's decision to fire the aforementioned inspectors general was Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a longtime Trump foe who opined that the move was blatantly unlawful.

Schiff fumed, “Trump wants no accountability for malfeasance in office. He is refilling the swamp.”

The head of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, Hannibal Ware, offered his take on the firings, saying, “At this point, we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA) had a more measured reaction, saying, “There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so. I'd like further explanation from President Trump.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) came down on the side of Trump, saying, as Reuters noted separately, “Ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the president. He wants new people in there. He wants new people focused on getting out waste and fraud and abuse and reforming these agencies. He has a right to get in there who he wants,” but whether that argument wins the day in the end, only time will tell.