President Donald Trump’s recent dismissals of key federal watchdogs responsible for overseeing government accountability violated the law, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Trump fired the inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) following a damning report from the office detailing the administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency, which put nearly $500 million worth of food aid at risk of spoiling. This move comes after Trump removed 18 inspectors general from other federal agencies last month.
Federal law requires the administration to notify Congress 30 days in advance and provide specific reasons before terminating an inspector general. The Trump administration failed to meet this requirement.
Grassley, a longtime advocate for inspectors general and their oversight role established after President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal, indicated that he supported the dismissal of USAID Inspector General Paul Martin, stating that Martin “wasn’t doing his job.” However, he criticized the president for bypassing legal protocols.
“I’d like to alert the president to the fact that he can abide by the law and still get rid of the people he wants to get rid of,” Grassley said. “He can put them on administrative leave for 30 days and send us a letter.”
When asked if he intended to inform Trump directly, Grassley responded, “I just did, by talking to you.”
Grassley previously sent a letter to Trump seeking clarification on the earlier inspector general firings but has yet to receive a response. Despite this, the senator was recently seen dining with the president at his Florida estate, sharing a photo online.
A report from the USAID Office of Inspector General on Monday highlighted how the administration’s decision to freeze nearly all USAID operations and halt foreign assistance led to significant confusion and delays in aid distribution.
“While initial guidance following the pause in foreign assistance funding provided a waiver for emergency food assistance, shipments of in-kind food assistance have been delayed around the world,” the report stated.
“This uncertainty put more than $489 million of food assistance at ports, in transit, and in warehouses at risk of spoilage, unanticipated storage needs, and diversion,” it continued.
Many Republicans have backed Trump’s push to downsize USAID, despite previously supporting the agency’s role in countering China and Russia’s influence in Africa and other regions.
“USAID is an agency that let us all down,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday, criticizing the agency’s spending practices.
However, in 2021, Graham called USAID “a force for good.” Other Republicans, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ivanka Trump, have also praised the agency in the past.
Last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate some USAID employees while the courts assess the legality of the agency’s closure. Despite this ruling, the administration has continued to restrict workers from entering the Washington headquarters, indicating that portions of the office space may be repurposed for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.