Trump fires USAID inspector-general over report critical of White House

US President Donald Trump has fired Paul Martin, inspector-general of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), after his report criticised the White House for dismantling the agency.

Martin’s termination was contained in an email from the deputy director of the office of presidential personnel on Tuesday evening.

The email contained the words:“Terminated, effective immediately.”

Joe Biden, the former US president, appointed Martin as USAID inspector-general in December 2023.

The office of the IG typically operates independently.

An IG probes the books to unearth potential fraud, waste or abuse by a government agency or its personnel. The office also issues reports and recommendations on its findings.

In Martin’s five-page report released on Monday, the USAID chief said Trump’s reduction of USAID personnel and his freeze on foreign assistance had made it doubly difficult to track and respond to potential misuse of $8.2 billion in taxpayer-funded humanitarian assistance.

USAID employs approximately 10,000 staff.

Last Tuesday, the agency notified its entire workforce that they would be placed on leave after Trump’s order.

Martin said staff began reporting a sudden loss of access to USAID email and information technology (IT) systems.

The now-dismissed USAID IG said the staffing shortages, and limitations on communications with aid organisations stemming from the cessation of foreign assistance, had consequences.

He said USAID would be constrained to react to, and report allegations of diversion, all of which impacts the agency’s mandatory reporting obligations to congress.

There are reports that Trump intends to issue another executive order that would effectively dismantle USAID and move its operations to the State Department.