Fired Government Watchdogs Sue Trump Admin for Reinstatement

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Feb. 11, 2025. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Eight inspectors general fired by the Trump administration are suing to have their jobs restored.

A lawsuit filed on Feb. 12 in Washington asks a federal judge to recognize the dismissals as unlawful and reinstate the independent watchdogs to their respective offices.

The plaintiffs are the former inspectors general of the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Education, Agriculture, and Labor and the Small Business Administration.

The Trump administration closed out its first week in January by dismissing more than a dozen inspectors general from various agencies.

President Donald Trump told reporters at the time that such firings were “a very common thing to do.”

The plaintiff inspectors general were all fired via identical emails sent on Jan. 24. Their access to government systems and equipment was cut off over the following days. Agriculture Department Inspector General Phyllis Fong, however, returned to work the following Monday, “recognizing that her termination was not effective.” She conducted several meetings before her equipment was confiscated and her badge deactivated.

In total, at least 18 inspectors general have now been fired.

The role of inspector general, which is meant to be nonpartisan, involves conducting oversight and rooting out corruption, waste, and abuse within the federal government.

Although they are presidentially appointed, their dismissal legally requires the provision of a 30-day notice to Congress. The law also requires that the president provide in writing the detailed and “substantive rationale” behind the termination. The lawsuit notes that neither was given.

“President Trump has not communicated to Congress his intention to remove the IGs at any time,“ the complaint states. ”Nor has he communicated to Congress, in writing or otherwise, any substantive rationale for the removal of any IG—let alone the required detailed and case-specific reasons.”

The requirement that the president provide a substantive explanation for firing inspectors general is relatively new. Congress added the stipulation in 2022 to make it more difficult to fire independent officials.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spearheaded that change. He and the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), said the new requirement is meant to bolster confidence in the inspector general community.

“While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed,” the senators wrote in a Jan. 28 letter to the president.

“The communication to Congress must contain more than just broad and vague statements; rather, it must include sufficient facts and details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the Inspector General’s ability to carry out their mission.”

The senators asked Trump to provide the required rationale for each terminated inspector general and name their acting replacements.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.