The Trump administration's attacks on oversight of executive power
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What are U.S. accountability mechanisms for foreign aid?
The Committee on Foreign Affairs will come to order. The purpose of this hearing is to assess the accountability mechanisms that ensure American taxpayer money is being spent as intended in Ukraine. The speaker here is Mike McCaul. He's a Republican from Texas, and in March of 2023, he was chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Today we have the opportunity to question the independent inspectors, generals from the Department of State, USAID, and the Department of Defense. This hearing wasn't particularly memorable. It's just one example of the U.S. government in action. Congress conducts oversight on federal spending, like on aid to Ukraine. And so it called on the inspectors general of three different government departments or agencies.
Your work is a critical component to ensure that Congress is being good stewards of the taxpayers' money. And it's necessary to prevent waste, fraud or abuse, and if need be, investigate and resolve any incidents.
What role do inspectors general play in government oversight?
An inspector general is a nonpartisan watchdog inside the government. The role was created by a law, the Inspector General Act of 1978, which came out of post-Watergate efforts to put checks on executive power. And under that law, inspectors general set up independent offices within their government agencies to investigate things like waste, fraud, and abuse. Waste, fraud and abuse has become a catchphrase for this Trump administration as a rationale for making cuts to the federal government. But at the end of his first week in office on a Friday night, President Trump fired inspectors general at 17 different agencies. He was asked about it the next day during a press gaggle on Air Force One.
Why did President Trump fire inspectors general?
Can you talk to us about the firing of the inspectors general? Why did you do that? And why is it a...
Because it's a very common thing to do. And not all of them.
Trump told reporters he was keeping some inspectors general, including Michael Horowitz from the Department of Justice, whom he had singled out for his report that was critical of former FBI Director James Comey. Now, to be clear, a president can fire an IG, but he's required by law to give Congress a reason in writing, along with 30 days notice. And that didn't happen here.
Trump also added, I don't know that, but some people thought that some were unfair or some were not doing the job. And it's a very standard thing to do, very much like the U.S. attorneys.
Nothing about President Trump's second term is standard or conforms to norms of government. Consider this. Firing these inspectors general is just one of many moves that the president has made that undermine government systems designed to check presidential power. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.
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How has the Trump administration changed the Justice Department?
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It's Consider This from NPR. The Trump administration continues to fire, shut down, or defund independent elements of the federal government that traditionally work as a check on presidential power. Supporters of President Trump say that's exactly the point. NPR justice correspondent Kerry Johnson and NPR political correspondent Susan Davis have been reporting on this effort and how it could change government. They join us now. Hey to both of you. Hi, Elsa. Hey there. OK, can you just start by explaining first the kinds of actions that you're talking about here when you say that President Trump is weakening or eliminating parts of the federal government that would ordinarily be a check on the executive? Carrie, you first.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What are U.S. accountability mechanisms for foreign aid?
0:01–1:06
2
What role do inspectors general play in government oversight?
1:06–1:55
3
Why did President Trump fire inspectors general?
1:55–3:34
4
How has the Trump administration changed the Justice Department?
3:34–4:55
5
What is the conservative perspective on government oversight roles?
4:55–11:50
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from Consider This from NPR
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