WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse teamed with U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and 35 of their colleagues in urging President Trump to reinstate all of the inspectors general (IG) he fired in one night last month, outlining that the mass-firing does not comply with the law and “could do lasting harm to IG independence.”
Inspectors general generally serve across multiple administrations and provide critical oversight of federal agencies and offer a way for federal employees to report wrongdoing on a range of issues, including fraud, waste and others and conduct independent, high-impact investigations and audits.
In their letter, the 38 U.S. Senators wrote: “Removing these non-partisan watchdogs without providing a substantive and non-political reason is not lawful and undermines their independence, jeopardizing their critical mission to identify and root out waste, fraud, and abuse within federal programs.”
Peters, Reed, and Whitehouse helped pass key provisions of the Inspector General Independence and Empowerment Act as part of the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to require a President to provide a 30-day notice and substantive reasons for removal in writing to Congress before an Inspector General can be removed. The letter notes that the Trump Administration failed to provide Congress with the 30-day notice or the reason for the IG’s removals.
“Because your actions violated the law, these Inspectors General should be reinstated immediately, until such time as you have provided in writing ‘the substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons’ for each of the affected Inspectors General and the 30-day notice period has expired,” the Senators wrote.
“While the President has the authority to remove Inspectors General from office, Congress has established clear requirements to ensure such removals are transparent and are not politicized,” wrote the senators. “With respect to your firings Friday night, Congress has not received either the mandatory 30-day notice or a rationale for their removal. Because your actions violated the law, these IGs should be reinstated immediately, until such time as you have provided in writing ‘the substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons’ for each of the affected Inspectors General and the 30-day notice period has expired.”
In addition to Peters, Reed and Whitehouse, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and John Fetterman (D-PA).
The full text of the letter follows:
Dear Mr. President,
Your decision Friday evening to remove Inspectors General (IGs) from at least 18 offices across government—including those overseeing the Departments of Defense, State, Education, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Energy, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, and the Social Security Administration, as well as the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction—does not comply with current law and could do lasting harm to IG independence. These officials, which include those appointed by Presidents of both parties, including many during your first Administration, collectively conduct oversight of trillions of dollars of federal spending and the conduct of millions of federal employees. Removing these non-partisan watchdogs without providing a substantive and non-political reason is not lawful, and undermines their independence, jeopardizing their critical mission to identify and root out waste, fraud, and abuse within federal programs.
Inspectors General are responsible for providing independent oversight of federal programs by working to root out waste, fraud, and abuse and protect taxpayer dollars – oversight our federal agencies desperately need. They play a key role in improving government efficiency and effectiveness and have helped identify and recover billions of taxpayer dollars. IG independence is the foundation of this work, and IGs must be free of political influence so that they can carry out their important mission with integrity and credibility. The federal government and the American people count on these officials to operate in a professional and non-partisan way to hold our government accountable—regardless of who is in power. Without strong, qualified, and independent officials to lead these critical efforts, the Administration risks wasting taxpayer dollars, and allowing fraud and misconduct to go unchecked. For example, just this week the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued an unlawful memo directing agencies to pause nearly all federal grants and loans, which significantly disrupts the administration of over a trillion dollars of critical assistance to communities, businesses, and organizations across the country. It is especially vital to have independent watchdogs at each of these agencies to conduct oversight of the impacts of this unconstitutional and unprecedented directive.
While the President has the authority to remove Inspectors General from office, Congress has established clear requirements to ensure such removals are transparent and are not politicized. The law requires that the President provide a written 30-day notice to both Houses of Congress and include “the substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons for any such removal or transfer.” With respect to your firings Friday night, Congress has not received either the mandatory 30-day notice or a rationale for their removal. Because your actions violated the law, these Inspectors General should be reinstated immediately, until such time as you have provided in writing “the substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for each of the affected Inspectors General and the 30-day notice period has expired.
Lastly, if you believe it is necessary to place any of the affected IGs on administrative leave before the 30-day notice period has ended, the law requires that you submit a separate notification to Congress explaining how the IG presents a threat as defined in the Administrative Leave Act.
Sincerely,
