Overview

• President Trump dismissed over a dozen inspectors general during his first week in office, including officials from the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, and Education.
• Eight of the fired inspectors general have filed a lawsuit claiming their terminations were unjustified and violated federal law requiring detailed explanations to Congress.
• Inspectors general are independent watchdogs tasked with rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse, overseeing more than $5 trillion in federal funds and over 3.5 million employees.
• The Inspector General Act of 1978 established these roles to ensure government accountability, with bipartisan support for their work in reducing inefficiencies and recovering taxpayer money.
• Recent data highlights the effectiveness of inspectors general, with billions of dollars recovered annually through audits and investigations into misuse of federal funds.