Trump fires 17 inspectors general without required 30-day congressional notice

On his fifth day in office, President Trump dismissed 17 inspectors general across federal agencies without providing Congress the 30-day advance notice and substantive explanation required by the Inspector General Act as amended in 2022. A federal court later found the firings "obviously" violated federal law but declined to reinstate the watchdogs. The mass removal eliminated oversight officials whose statutory role includes monitoring agency compliance with court orders and reporting violations to Congress.