The Friday-night purge: 17 inspectors general fired at once

On September 24, 2025, Judge Ana Reyes held that the firings violated the Inspector General Act but declined to reinstate the eight inspectors general who sued, because the president could lawfully remove them again after giving Congress the required notice; she left open the government's argument that the notice requirement unconstitutionally limits the president's removal power.

Late on Friday, January 24, 2025, the administration fired 17 inspectors general across federal departments and agencies, each notified by a two-sentence email from Presidential Personnel Director Sergio Gor or his deputy, Trent Morse, citing 'changing priorities.' Inspectors general are the independent watchdogs who investigate fraud, waste and abuse inside the executive branch. The Inspector General Act, as amended in 2022, requires the president to give Congress 30 days' notice and a substantive, case-specific rationale before removing one. Neither was given. The firings removed the internal watchdogs across the executive branch at once, in the first week of the term.

On September 24, 2025, Judge Ana Reyes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote: 'President Trump violated the IGA. That much is obvious.' She declined to reinstate the eight inspectors general who sued, reasoning that the president could lawfully remove them again after giving 30 days' notice and a rationale, and left open the government's argument that the notice requirement is an unconstitutional intrusion on the president's removal power. She wrote that the fired watchdogs 'deserved better from their government.'

Several of the fired inspectors general had open matters touching Elon Musk's companies: the Agriculture Department inspector general's office (Phyllis Fong) had opened an investigation of Neuralink in 2022, the Defense Department's (Robert Storch) had opened a review of SpaceX in late 2024, and USAID's inspector general, Paul Martin, fired in early February, had been investigating the agency's shipment of Musk-owned Starlink terminals to Ukraine. In fiscal 2023 the inspector general community identified over $93 billion in potential savings to federal programs.

Documented

Ruled unlawful (violated the Inspector General Act) 2025-09-24; reinstatement denied

Fired 2025-01-24; ruled unlawful 2025-09-24