Eight governmental watchdog organizations have initiated a lawsuit opposing their abrupt termination by President Donald Trump’s administration. They contend that these dismissals were illegal and compromised federal oversight.
The complaint, lodged on Wednesday in a federal court in Washington, calls for a judicial ruling to declare the terminations unlawful and reinstates the inspectors general (IGs) to their previous roles. These nonpartisan officials are tasked with identifying waste, fraud, and misconduct across government agencies, thereby ensuring accountability over trillions of federally allocated dollars.
While it is within a president’s rights to remove IGs, the Trump administration allegedly neglected to provide the legally mandated 30-day notice to Congress, which attracted criticism from lawmakers across both parties. The White House has not yet issued an official response regarding this legal action.
Defending his course of action, Trump claimed he aimed to replace the ousted officials with individuals who would perform effectively. His administration dismissed more than twelve IGs shortly after he began his second term in office. Although IGs are appointed by presidents, many hold their positions through transitions between administrations and are expected to maintain political neutrality throughout their service. Notably, two plaintiffs were initially nominated by Trump during his first presidency.
Michael Missal, who previously served as the inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs and is among those suing, denounced the firings as unlawful. “We are pursuing this action to preserve independent oversight,” he commented.
This lawsuit comes on the heels of recent dismissal involving the inspector general for the US Agency for International Development. This individual had raised concerns that reorganization efforts from within created obstacles hindering monitoring over $8.2 billion earmarked for humanitarian aid.
Critics including Democrats and various accountability organizations argue that these removals undermine crucial governmental oversight mechanisms. The litigation also references historical legal precedents indicating that mass firings of inspectors general have been deemed inappropriate since as early as the 1980s.
Those bringing forth this lawsuit include former inspectors general from significant departments including Defense, Veterans Affairs, State, and Health and Human Services.