Huffman, Dexter Call on Natural Resources Committee Republicans to Investigate Trump’s Illegal Midnight Purge of Inspectors General
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Maxine Dexter (D-Oreg.) sent a letter to Committee Chair Bruce Westerman requesting a hearing to get to the bottom of Trump’s unprecedented and illegal late-night firing of inspectors general from various federal agencies, a move that was outlined in Trump’s Project 2025.
“Protecting the independence of the inspectors general has been a bipartisan priority since Congress created the positions. It is hard to imagine a more important time for the Natural Resources Committee to explore the impacts of the erosion of the inspectors general under the watchful eye of the American people in a hearing. I hope I can count on you to hold a hearing in the full committee exploring the implications of the firings for issues within our jurisdiction,” the members wrote.
The lawmakers specifically requested the Committee examine the terminations at the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Department of Commerce (DoC), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The members went on to highlight several instances where oversight from the DOI Office of Inspector General (OIG) was essential during the first Trump administration, including when they issued multiple reports about the Secretaries of the Interior and other appointees. In some cases, the Department of Interior OIG found that allegations against political appointees lacked merit, effectively shielding them against smears. In other cases, allegations were confirmed.
A full copy of the letter can be found here.
BACKGROUND
On Friday, January 24, 2025, President Trump fired at least 18 IGs in an email that lacked the justification or the 30-day notice to Congress required by law.
The 922-page Project 2025 policy agenda lists in-depth plans to weaken anti-corruption laws, replace qualified experts with political cronies, and eliminate efforts to defend environmental justice and diverse communities. In one of its corresponding “Presidential Administration Academy” video trainings, two Project 2025 leaders say that, upon election, the next U.S. president should replace the independent Inspectors General (IGs) working to oversee federal operations and detect and prevent fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct throughout 74 federal programs. The Project 2025 leaders said the next president should instead install “their own IGs” so that they “have control of the people that work within the government.”
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