U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the independent inspector general of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), whose office released a report criticizing the administration’s handling of the agency.
On Wednesday, February 12, The Washington Post, CNN and other U.S. media reported that Martin evacuated his removal from the White House through a brief email on Tuesday, February 11. The email said his position had been “terminated, valid, effective immediately” but did not provide any explanation for the decision.
Martin’s office recently issued a report warning that more than $489 million in food aid could risk damage or distribution due to aid freeze and aid orders imposed by the Trump administration. The report highlights long-term concerns about U.S. Agency for International Development’s operations and notes that the reduction and uncertainty of exemptions from foreign aid “reduces U.S. agency’s ability to distribute and protect taxpayer-funded humanitarian aid.”
Trump has dismissed 18 inspector generals, who are independent regulators of the federal government, but Martin (appointed by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden) has been in his position.
The president started his second term last month, and he launched an aggressive effort to narrow or tear down various government agencies, a campaign led by his top donor billionaire Elon Musk .
The United States Agency for the global management of U.S. humanitarian assistance has been a major goal. The agency manages a $42.8 billion budget and operates in about 120 countries, becoming a key tool for U.S. soft power in geopolitical competition with countries like China.
The Trump administration has frozen foreign aid, ordered thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development staff abroad to return to the United States and began reducing its workforce from 10,000 employees to about 300.
Unions are challenging the legality of these measures, with a federal judge recently ordered a halt to the government’s plan to send 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave.
Democrats argued that Trump was unable to close government agencies without legislation approval, questioning the constitutionality of his actions.
