USAID inspector general fired after calling out Trump
The Trump administration fired the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development, less than one day after his office issued a report warning that nearly $500 million worth of food would go bad due to President Donald Trump’s shutdown of the agency.
Paul Martin, who assumed the inspector general role in 2023 under the Biden administration, was let go via email, according to CNN. He was given no reason for his dismissal, which he was told was “effective immediately.”
The report warned that Trump’s policies “put more than $489 million of food assistance at ports, in transits, and in warehouses at risk of spoilage, unanticipated storage needs, and diversion.”
It also said that the Trump administration’s slashing of USAID personnel and its freeze on foreign assistance made it more difficult to properly track the $8.2 billion in taxpayer-funded humanitarian aid.
A lack of oversight at USAID, the report added, could leave the agency “susceptible to inadvertently funding entities or salaries of individuals associated with U.S.-designated terrorist organizations.”
Of course, Trump didn’t take well to the news that his cronies are contributing to massive waste—something he wanted to eliminate.
The email sent to Martin, written by a deputy director of the White House, was terse. However, the termination might be subject to some regulation, as the administration is required to provide Congress with 30 days’ notice before firing an inspector general and to include specific reasons for a termination.
Then again, why would we expect Trump to follow the rules?
Martin isn’t the first inspector general who was fired by the Trump administration without cause. Less than a month after he returned to the White House, Trump sacked 18 inspectors general—eight of whom are now suing and seeking “redress for their unlawful and unjustified purported termination” by Trump and their respective agency heads.
“Look what happens when you write a report critical of this administration: They fire you the next day. This chills independent oversight and that’s exactly what we need right now,” another terminated inspector general told The Washington Post last month.
The Trump administration has recently moved aggressively to destroy USAID, the agency that handles U.S. aid to foreign projects including disaster relief, education, and the promotion of democracy abroad. The move to dismantle USAID was spearheaded by DOGE bro Elon Musk, who is hellbent on tearing down agencies he believes to be a waste of federal funding.
Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was temporarily put in charge of USAID but has since been hampered by Trump, who issued a 90-day pause on new obligations and disbursements of foreign aid on Day 1.
“Recent widespread staffing reductions across the Agency … coupled with uncertainty about the scope of foreign assistance waivers and permissible communications with implementers, has degraded USAID’s ability to distribute and safeguard taxpayer-funded humanitarian assistance,” the USAID report said.
Trump just might be the world’s most vengeful president. In addition to firing anyone who crosses him, he’s also threatened to revoke security clearances for his perceived political enemies.
All of this shows how Trump will stop at nothing to make sure he’s surrounded by MAGA loyalists—even if it leads to waste and the failure of critical oversight agencies.
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