House Democrats Accuse Trump of Breaking the Law on Agency Oversight

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are demanding answers on the Trump administration’s efforts to gut and stymie the work of inspector generals across multiple departments. 

In a letter sent Friday to the heads of all 24 federal agencies, and shared exclusively with The New Republic, Oversight Democrats accused the Trump administration of systematically impeding the work of agency watchdogs by obstructing their access, purging their staff, and replacing them with loyalists.

“The Trump Administration’s actions have both deprived [Offices of Inspectors General] of the personnel and resources they need to examine and address waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption in government, and limited agencies’ ability to respond to OIG requests,” the letter stated. 

Since entering office, Donald Trump has fired or demoted more than 20 inspectors general, who had collectively carved out more than $50 billion in savings from federal programs in 2024. 

In some cases, the removals appeared to be politically motivated. In June, Trump installed a new acting inspector general at the Department of Education, and demoted Acting IG René Rocque. The staffing change came shortly after Rocque’s office reported to committee members that the administration had “[interfered] with the OIG’s ability to conduct an independent and timely review” of changes to staffing and operations.

In May, Rocque’s office reported that the Department of Education “had withheld numerous documents requested by the OIG based on vague claims that the materials are somehow sensitive, deliberative, or related to unspecified litigation,” according to the letter. But the IG Act specifically bars agencies from refusing to hand over documents for those stated reasons, and requires agencies to give OIGs timely access to records. As of July 1, the OIGs still had not received access.

Multiple agency OIGs have reported interference from department leadership. The Department of Education OIG also said that the agency had canceled its interviews with staff, and insisted that a general counsel be present for interviews—a significant break from agency practice. In May, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency reported to the Oversight Committee that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had installed a senior adviser at the Intelligence Community IG, creating “significant independence issues.”

According to the letter, the issues at OIGs are more widespread. “Numerous OIGs have reported to Committee staff about alterations of work schedules, delays in agency responses to OIG requests, and recruitment and retention issues,” the letter stated. 

To replace the ousted OIG staff, Trump has nominated loyalists with dubious ethical records. Trump nominated former Representative Anthony D’Esposito, who hired his lover, for the IG for the Department of Labor; and Thomas March Bell, who was accused of mishandling taxpayer dollars, for the Department of Health and Human Services. 

“IGs must have the courage and independence to hold their agencies accountable and to  deliver for the American people. By law, they must be watchdogs, not lapdogs,” the letter states. 

The lawmakers requested that the agency heads give a response by August 29 “to clarify how you will dutifully uphold our nation’s federal oversight and IG laws.”