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Democrats Demand Hearing on Inspectors General Firings
In a recent development, Senate Democrats have formally requested a hearing from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee regarding the significant number of inspectors general dismissed by President Trump in early 2025. This request was communicated through a letter sent Wednesday.
The letter highlights that the abrupt dismissal of 18 inspectors general on January 25, 2025, alongside the removal of the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on February 11, 2025, constitutes a violation of federal law. It also warns that such actions threaten the ability of the federal government to engage in impartial oversight activities.
Signatories of the letter include prominent Democratic senators: Adam Schiff (California), Ben Ray Luján (New Mexico), Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts), Chris Van Hollen (Maryland), Tim Kaine (Virginia), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Tammy Duckworth (Illinois), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), and Ron Wyden (Oregon).
The senators asserted that Congress has a crucial role in safeguarding inspectors general from political meddling, emphasizing the importance of maintaining their status as trusted, nonpartisan watchdogs within the federal framework.
In the past month, a wave of firings affected a range of departments, including Defense, State, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, and Veterans Affairs, raising alarms about the politicization of these oversight roles.
Notably, the inspector general for USAID was removed shortly after the release of a report that criticized a freeze on foreign assistance, drawing scrutiny to the timing and motivations behind these dismissals.
The letter further contends that these unprecedented actions not only jeopardize the independence of the traditionally nonpartisan inspectors general but also violate legal requirements that necessitate presidential notification to Congress regarding any inspector general removal, accompanied by a substantial justification.
Efforts to obtain comments from the office of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who chairs the committee, as well as from the White House, have been initiated by various media outlets.
Source
thehill.com