Critics decry Trump's purge of federal watchdogs

President Trump is purging the government of investigators. Some prosecute criminals while others are watchdogs who make sure our food, veteran hospitals, highways and more are safe. The Trump administration says they can't be trusted, but critics of the president say he's gutting the very offices that weed out people who shouldn't be trusted. Scott MacFarlane has more.

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Layoffs Expand at Federal Agencies, Part of Trump Purge

Mass firings have rocked multiple agencies as President Trump and Elon Musk ramp up plans to drastically slash and reshape the federal work force.
The New York Times - 2d
Layoffs Expand at Federal Agencies, Part of Trump Purge

Mass firings have rocked multiple agencies as President Trump and Elon Musk ramp up plans to drastically slash and reshape the federal work force.
The New York Times - 2d
Scientists, researchers work to archive federal health data purged by Trump administration

Scientists, researchers and private health organizations scrambled to preserve as much federal public health data and guidelines as possible last week after news reached them that the Trump ...
The Hill - Feb. 8
Trump’s acting chief of federal financial watchdog orders staff to pause activity

Russell Vought is now acting head of CFPB, created in wake of 2008 financial crash to supervise financial companies. Russell Vought, Donald Trump’s newly installed acting head of the US Consumer ...
The Guardian - Feb. 9
Federal watchdogs fired by Trump urge court to reinstate them

A new lawsuit alleges that Trump's firing of inspectors general violated federal law.
Politico - 6d
Thousands of workers fired in federal purge

Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Thousands of workers fired in Trump, Musk federal purge Agency leaders across the ...
The Hill - 4d
Here are the agencies purging federal workers

In the latest federal shakeup, the Trump administration ordered the heads of several agencies across the government to start firing employees who were still within their probationary period — or ...
The Hill - 3d
Fired federal workers decry 'arbitrary,' 'haphazard' terminations

Carly Arata is one of possibly more than 200,000 workers affected by mass firings of probationary employees.
ABC News - 4d
CDC losing tenth of workforce in purge of federal employees

CBS News has learned the mass firings ordered by President Trump across the federal government have now reached the Centers for Disease Control. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Celine Gounder has ...
CBS News - 4d
White House terminates top federal prosecutors amid DOJ, FBI purge

The White House terminated multiple U.S. attorneys on Wednesday amid a period of upheaval at the Justice Department initiated by President Donald Trump.
NBC News - 5d
National Science Foundation Fires 168 Workers as Federal Purge Continues

Firings at the NSF included permanent employees who had already completed their one-year probationary period, as well as at-will workers.
Wired - 6h
8 fired government watchdogs sue Trump administration

Eight federal watchdogs ousted by President Trump last month are suing to get their jobs back on the basis that their dismissals were unlawful. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, asserts Congress was ...
The Hill - 6d
Trump Deputy Attorney General Nominee Decries Treatment of His Client

Mr. Blanche made clear that his prior work as a personal lawyer for the president informed his approach to the job of deputy attorney general.
The New York Times - 6d
Hakeem Jeffries decries Trump's 'toxic bait-and-switch' presidency

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on ABC News' "This Week," where he decried the "toxic bait-and-switch" of President Donald Trump's leadership.
ABC News - 2d
Trump administration ousts over 400 DHS employees in ongoing workforce purge

The Trump administration ousted 405 employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an ongoing workforce purge that has affected other federal agencies and departments. The majority of ...
The Hill - 3d
‘This is a coup’: Trump and Musk’s purge is cutting more than costs, say experts

In slashing staff and disabling entire agencies the administration is lacerating the structures of US democracy. Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s radical drive to slash billions of dollars in annual ...
The Guardian - 1d
Pope criticizes Trump administration's immigration policies

Pope Francis criticized President Trump’s mass deportation plans in a letter urging compassion and the preservation of dignity for migrants in the U.S. The pope, in his letter, recognized “the ...
The Hill - Feb. 11
How Ukraine Pitched Trump on a Deal for Critical Minerals

President Trump says he wants to make a deal for minerals from Ukraine in exchange for aid. That followed a long effort by Ukrainian officials to appeal to Mr. Trump’s transactional nature.
The New York Times - 6d
As Musk, Trump administration target CFPB, Democrats defend consumer watchdog

The agency is at a virtual standstill as Elon Musk's DOGE and the White House's Russell Vought take over.
ABC News - Feb. 10
How to ensure Trump's new inspectors general are watchdogs, not lapdogs

It is critical that President Trump nominate qualified individuals to those positions — not just in the sense of technical competence, but also in their willingness to conduct fair, objective and ...
The Hill - Feb. 11
Trump reportedly fires watchdog who oversees USAid after damning report

Paul Martin, an independent inspector general and Biden appointee, warned of drastic effects of shuttering USAid. Donald Trump reportedly fired the federal watchdog responsible for overseeing the ...
The Guardian - 6d
Trump fires USAID watchdog who released report on impact of agency cuts

President Trump fired the USAID inspector general one day after he released a report detailing the impact of the administration's cuts to the agency.
CBS News - 6d
Trump FBI pick Kash Patel accused of directing staff purge while still a nominee

Sen. Dick Durbin alleged that Kash Patel's orders are being carried out by officials including Trump aide Stephen Miller and acting deputy AG Emil Bove.
CNBC - Feb. 11
Trump ramps up NFL kickoff criticism after Super Bowl

President Trump ramped up his criticism of this season's new NFL kickoff rules in the wake of the Super Bowl late Sunday night. The NFL, to protect player safety, instituted new rules this year ...
The Hill - Feb. 10
Eric Adams Urges N.Y.C. Officials to Avoid Criticizing Trump Administration

In response to concerns about his cooperation with the Trump administration, Mayor Eric Adams on Monday told top aides that being confrontational could hurt New York City.
The New York Times - Feb. 11
Trump border czar knocks Pope Francis's criticism: 'Fix the Catholic Church'

"Border czar" Tom Homan, who oversees President Trump’s mass deportation program, shot back at Pope Francis after he chastised the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement. “I’ve got ...
The Hill - Feb. 11
Pope Criticizes Trump’s Deportation of Migrants, Calling It a Violation of Dignity

In a letter to American bishops, Francis leveled unusually direct criticism at the administration on an issue he has made central to his papacy.
The New York Times - Feb. 11
Justice Sotomayor defends courts amid criticism from Trump and his allies

Liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that courts must use their “soft power” to persuade people to comply with rulings on contentious issues.
NBC News - 6d
US scientists warn ‘critical work’ at risk from further Trump cuts

AAAS chief says more disruption risks undermining crucial healthcare and research, ahead of next month’s fiscal bill
Financial Times - 2d
Trump post has critics saying he's declaring himself above the law

In a post Saturday on X and TruthSocial, President Donald Trump suggested he is above the law if he "saves his country."
ABC News - 2d
Trump criticizes Ukraine after U.S.-Russia peace talks

President Trump signed executive orders and took questions from the press at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. Mr. Trump made disparaging remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he ...
CBS News - 1h
Trump admin to ask Supreme Court to keep fired government watchdog off the job as case pends

The Trump administration will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that ordered a government ethics watchdog reinstated to his post after he was fired by the president.
NBC News - 1d
Trump administration files first supreme court appeal over firing of government watchdog

Attempt to remove head of the office of special counsel is key test of executive branch’s battle with US judiciary to reshape federal government. Donald Trump’s administration has asked the supreme ...
The Guardian - 1d
Trump's proposed buyout plan for federal workers in limbo

A federal judge is weighing extending the pause on President Trump's "deferred resignations" for federal workers. Weijia Jiang is following the latest developments at the White House.
CBS News - Feb. 10
Trump’s Plan to Remake the Federal Work Force

One of President Trump’s first executive orders claims the power to fire, and hire, tens of thousands of career civil servants across the government. Astead W. Herndon, a national politics reporter ...
The New York Times - 6d
Judge allows Trump to proceed with federal buyout

A federal judge says he will continue to pause the Trump administration's federal employee buyout offer until he issues a ruling on a preliminary injunction.
ABC News - 5d
Trump orders mass firings at federal agencies

As part of his promise to slash the size of the federal bureaucracy, President Trump ordered the firings of “probationary” workers at several federal agencies. The move sparked protests in ...
NBC News - 4d
Maher Knocks Trump’s Gutting of the Federal Work Force

“America is in shock that the guy whose catchphrase was ‘You’re fired’ is firing everybody in government,” Bill Maher said of President Trump on “Real Time.”
The New York Times - 17h
Can the Federal Reserve Look Past Trump’s Tariffs?

Top officials are grappling with how to handle potential price increases caused by the administration’s policies.
The New York Times - 5h