Congress Ask for Answers on Inspectors General Firings as White House Plays Defense
Congress is scrambling to react after President Trump fired at least 17 inspectors general, who play a critical role in independently exposing waste, fraud, and abuse at government agencies.
In a letter, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) demanded the president explain the firings and provide names of the people who will fill the IG slots on an acting basis.
They claim Mr. Trump violated the law by failing to give Congress 30 days’ notice of the terminations as well as reasons for the removals, both of which are required under current law.
“While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed. The communication to Congress must contain more than just broad and vague statements, rather it must include sufficient facts and details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the Inspector General’s ability to carry out their mission,” said the letter.
On the House side, Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-VA) says inspectors general should continue to show up to work in defiance of the order since it was illegal in his view. And Rep. Connolly says don’t expect Congress to do much on this issue because of the cozy relationship between the president and congressional Republicans.
“No, I don't think you can expect action from Congress. What do we not get about the fact that the Republicans are in the majority of the House and the Senate and they have drunk the Kool Aid?” asked Representative Connolly.
In a statement, the Chairperson of the Council of Inspectors General of Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), Hannibal Ware, who is also the IG of the Small Business Administration (SBA), said “Congress specifically established the authorities and structure of the IGs to safeguard their vital oversight role, by mandating independence under the IG Act. Removals inconsistent with the law are a significant threat to the actual and perceived independence of IGs.”
White House Defends Firings
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt defended the firings.
“He is the executive of the executive branch, and therefore he has the power to fire anyone within the executive branch that he wishes to,” said Leavitt.
The president himself said the firings are a "very common thing to do."
And frequent Trump ally Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told NBC News, that the president won the election and has a right to install his own people. “Trump has the authority to do it, so I’m not losing a whole lot of sleep that he wants to change the personnel out.”
The fired inspectors general include several who were appointed under the first Trump Administration.
Among them: Interior Department Inspector General Mark Greenblatt.
“This raises an existential threat with respect to the primary independent oversight function in the federal government,” said Greenblatt in an interview with the New York Times. “We have preserved the independence of inspectors general by making them not swing with every change in political party.”
A slew of legal challenges to the firings are expected.