Inspectors General are the Front-Line Defense Against Corruption, Waste, and Fraud in Federal Spending
The President and Congress Must Urgently Bring Stability to Inspector General Offices
A statement from Transparency International U.S.
January 28, 2025
On Friday, January 24th, President Trump, via the White House Director of Presidential Personnel, removed 17 inspectors general from their positions. Inspectors general are executive branch officials who conduct investigations and audits of executive branch actions (though they do not bring prosecutions).
Federal law requires presidents to provide Congress with a substantive rationale for the dismissal of an inspector general at least 30 days in advance and states, in essence, that the acting IG will be a senior career official in the respective IG office. This person can only be replaced with someone already in the IG corps, and new IGs nominated by President Trump will need to be confirmed by the Senate.
Gary Kalman, Executive Director of Transparency International U.S. (“TI U.S.”), said the following:
No one protects taxpayer dollars more than inspectors general. They are the eyes and ears inside the U.S. Government working to investigate and expose corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse.
Republicans and Democrats have long agreed on the need to protect the independence of inspectors general and ensure that their investigations into corruption and other malfeasance follow the facts and the law, and not partisanship.
This Administration has said that rooting out waste and fraud in federal spending is a priority. This move sends the opposite message.
With so much turnover across the impacted IG offices this weekend, President Trump and Congress must now work together to bring stability to the IG system. First and foremost, this means doing their parts to clearly identify the new IGs and ensuring that they will have the independence to effectively do their work without political interference. Doing so will help Americans feel confident that IG offices are able to remain laser-focused on protecting U.S taxpayer dollars from corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse.
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Transparency International U.S. is part of the world’s largest coalition against corruption. In collaboration with national chapters in more than 100 countries, we are leading the fight to turn our vision of a world free from corruption into reality.
Media Contact
Gary Kalman, Executive Director, Transparency International U.S.
Telephone: +1 215-439-7090
Email: gkalman@transparency.org
Twitter: @TransparencyUSA