Federal watchdogs fired by Trump urge court to reinstate them

Eight federal watchdogs, abruptly fired last month by President Donald Trump, are suing to get their jobs back, saying Trump broke the law by failing to give Congress a 30-day heads up and concrete explanation for the dismissals.

Trump sent a jolt through Washington when he fired 17 inspectors general on the first Friday night of his term, presaging weeks of extraordinary assertions of power that have at times crossed clear legal boundaries.

A 2022 federal law requires Trump to notify Congress 30 days before he terminates an inspector general and to provide detailed reasons. Trump has bristled at constraints on his authority to manage the executive branch, embracing the most muscular version of presidential power and daring the courts to keep him in check.

The ex-watchdogs — including former inspectors general from the Pentagon, the Departments of State, Education, Labor, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, as well as the Small Business Administration — say a federal court should reinstate them and force Trump to abide by the 2022 law, or perhaps retain them altogether. Two of them, former Pentagon IG Robert Storch and former Small Business Administration IG Michael Ware, were originally appointed to their roles by Trump in his first presidential term.

The group, represented by former deputy attorney general David Ogden and former solicitor general Seth Waxman, is seeking an injunction to undo firings and asking the federal court in Washington, D.C. for expedited consideration.

“The firing of the independent nonpartisan inspectors general was a clear violation of the law,” said Michael Missal, who Trump removed as the top watchdog for the Department of Veterans Affairs. “The IGs are bringing this action for reinstatement so that they can go back to work fighting fraud, waste and abuse on behalf of the American people.”

All of the inspectors general say they were notified of their termination by Trump appointees but never directly communicated with Trump himself. Soon after, according to the lawsuit, “agency employees cut off each plaintiff’s access to government systems, collected each one’s assigned government equipment — computers, phones and access badges — and arranged for plaintiffs to collect personal belongings from government buildings under supervision.”

The lawsuit comes just hours after Trump fired yet another watchdog — USAID Inspector General Paul Martin — shortly after he reported that Trump’s bid to dismantle the agency risked wasting nearly $500 million in undelivered food aid. Martin was not included in the initial lawsuit, though advocates expect the complaint to be updated over time.

Inspectors general were a post-Watergate creation, meant to provide an internal, independent check on executive branch waste, fraud and abuse. They’re nominated by presidents and confirmed by the Senate, and they’re often tasked with complex audits of government programs and reviews of politically sensitive controversies. That mission at times produces an uneasy balance between the watchdogs — who technically work for the administration — and the agencies they monitor.

The IGs are not the only Trump administration officials fighting to undo Trump’s decision to fire them. A member of the National Labor Relations Board is suing to return to her position, and a different government watchdog, Hampton Dellinger, won a court ruling temporarily reinstating him atop the Office of Special Counsel.

Topics

Judge temporarily reinstates fired ethics watchdog

Hampton Dellinger filed a lawsuit claiming President Donald Trump illegally dismissed him last week.
NBC News - Feb. 11
Trump administration tries to reinstate fired federal nuclear workers

As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk work to downsize the federal government, tens of thousands of federal workers find themselves unemployed. Meanwhile, President Trump blindsided allies after ...
NBC News - 4d
Federal judge reinstates employee appeals board member fired by Trump

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily reinstated a member of a three-person federal employee appeals board who was fired by President Trump. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras said Cathy ...
The Hill - 1d
GOP lawmakers urge Trump to respect federal court rulings

Senate Republicans are urging President Trump to respect the rulings of federal judges who have blocked his executive actions to freeze spending federal grants and loans, dismantle the U.S. Agency ...
The Hill - Feb. 12
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 - 3d
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 - 3d
Trump Urged to Halt Firings at the FAA

After a string of deadly plane crashes, lawmakers and union members are urging the president to protect the transportation department from further personnel cuts.
The New York Times - 19h
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 ...
CBS News - Feb. 12
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 - Feb. 12
Appeals court rejects Trump administration bid to immediately reinstate funding freeze

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Justice Department's request to pause a judge's order while it challenges the order in court.
NBC News - Feb. 12
Appeals court declines to reinstate Trump's birthright citizenship order

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S.
NBC News - 16h
Appeals court denies Trump’s plea to reinstate birthright citizenship ban

President signed executive order on day one ordering end to citizenship for children of non-legal permanent residents. US politics live – latest updates A federal appeals court in San ...
The Guardian - 6h
Judge temporarily reinstates head of whistleblower office fired by Trump

A federal judge late Wednesday agreed to a temporary restraining order blocking President Trump from firing the head of the Office of the Special Counsel, keeping a key protector of whistleblowers ...
The Hill - Feb. 13
Judge Refuses to Immediately Reinstate Inspectors General Fired by Trump

Judge Ana C. Reyes, a Biden appointee, excoriated lawyers representing the former government watchdogs for how they handled their emergency request, but let the lawsuit proceed on a slower timeline.
The New York Times - 5d
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
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 - Feb. 12
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 - Feb. 12
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 - 5d
Federal Courts Are the Frontline for Those Opposing Trump Executive Orders

With a compliant Congress and mostly quiet streets, the president’s opponents are turning to the judicial branch with a flurry of legal actions. But can the courts keep up?
The New York Times - Feb. 9
Trump’s Federal Resignation Program Moves Ahead After Court Win

With a judge’s assent, the Trump administration moved to take next steps in the program and close it to new entrants.
The New York Times - Feb. 13
The courts separate democracy from autocracy. Will Trump defy them? | Amrit Singh and David Cole

Thus far, the administration has pursued appeals. But remarks from JD Vance and Elon Musk echo authoritarians worldwide. Will the Trump administration defy the courts?. JD Vance’s tweet last ...
The Guardian - 4d
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to greenlight whistleblower office firing

The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to greenlight President Trump’s firing of the head of a federal whistleblower protection office, marking the new Trump administration’s first ...
The Hill - 3d
First Test of Trump’s Power to Fire Officials Reaches Supreme Court

The court’s conservative majority may be receptive to the argument that presidents have unlimited power to remove leaders of independent agencies.
The New York Times - 3d
Trump appeals to Supreme Court over firing of US agency boss

The leader of an independent whistleblowing agency sued after he was fired by email this month.
BBC News - 3d
Trump's firings put 90-year-old Supreme Court precedent in crosshairs

President Trump has terminated the heads of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board, sparking legal challenges over their removal.
CBS News - 3d
Trump wants Supreme Court to allow firing of whistleblower agency's head

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow the firing of the head of the federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers. CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand has more.
CBS News - 3d
Trump asks Supreme Court to allow firing of whistleblower agency head

President Trump's firings of the members of independent agencies and boards have prompted a string of legal fights that could set the Supreme Court up to reconsider and potentially overturn a ...
CBS News - 2d
Trump fires USAID inspector general as federal shake-up continues

The Trump administration continued its campaign to shake-up the federal government with the firing of the USAID inspector general, a day after USAID released a report detailing the negative impact ...
NBC News - Feb. 12
Trump administration tells federal agencies to fire probationary employees

Hundreds of thousands of people could potentially be affected, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management.
NBC News - 6d
Trump admin tells federal agencies to fire probationary employees

President Trump's administration began a mass firing of federal workers. This could impact more than 200,000 people hired within the last two years but the exact number of people who will be ...
NBC News - 6d
Latest news on Trump's efforts on Israel-Hamas war, federal agency firings

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia for diplomatic meetings as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal remains fragile. This comes as the Trump administration persists in efforts to fire ...
CBS News - 3d
Mixed reactions among voters on Trump administration firing federal employees

Voters are reacting to the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the number of federal employees among various agencies. CBS News' Natalie Brand reports.
CBS News - 2d
Voters have mixed reaction to Trump firings of federal employees

As the Trump administration continues its push to downsize the federal government, CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand spoke with voters who had varying opinions on the cuts.
CBS News - 1d
Unions sue over Trump admin efforts to fire probationary federal employees

A coalition of government employee unions sued late Wednesday over the Trump administration’s efforts to fire employees still in their probationary period across the federal government. The Office ...
The Hill - 4h
Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them

National Nuclear Security Administration officials attempted to notify some employees who had been let go that they are now due to be reinstated but struggled to find them because they didn't have ...
NBC News - 4d
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 - 5d
Trump team wants Supreme Court to allow firing at agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers

President Trump's administration wants the Supreme Court to allow the ousting of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel's leader. Hampton Dellinger oversees the agency dedicated to protecting ...
CBS News - 3d
Mass firing of federal workers by Trump White House not showing up in jobless claims. Yet.

The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week stayed at very low levels, but overall U.S. jobless claims are sure to rise soon as thousands of federal workers fired by ...
MarketWatch - 2h
Judge orders Trump administration to temporarily reinstate foreign aid funding

President Donald Trump last month signed an executive order that issued a blanket pause on U.S. foreign aid.
NBC News - 6d