The White House dismissed Paul Martin, the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), on Tuesday, according to multiple U.S. officials.
The decision came just one day after Martin’s office issued a warning that President Donald Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID had severely compromised oversight of $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian funds.
The White House did not provide a reason for Martin’s removal, according to one official.
Newsweek has reached out to the State Department, which absorbed USAID under its purview earlier this month, via email Tuesday night for additional comment.
Why It Matters
The dismissal follows a broader pattern of the Trump administration’s purge of inspectors general, independent watchdogs responsible for identifying waste, fraud, and abuse within government agencies. The administration has previously removed more than a dozen inspectors general.
What To Know
On Monday, Martin’s office released a flash report stating that the administration’s funding freeze and staffing cuts had rendered USAID’s oversight “largely nonoperational.” This has significantly hampered the agency’s ability to ensure that billions in humanitarian aid do not fall into the hands of extremist groups or disappear in conflict zones, the report warned.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses the Trump administration of withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in payments owed to U.S. businesses for completed work under USAID contracts. The lawsuit alleges that the administration’s rapid dismantling of the agency has forced mass layoffs among USAID contractors, including 750 furloughs at Washington-based Chemonics International.
The lawsuit argues that the administration’s actions have had catastrophic consequences, both for American businesses and for vulnerable global populations relying on U.S. aid.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, names President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting USAID Deputy Administrator Peter Marocco, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought as defendants. It is at least the third legal challenge against the administration’s swift dismantling of USAID and its programs.
Trump and his ally Elon Musk have particularly targeted USAID, arguing that its work does not align with the administration’s policy goals. Under a January 20 executive order, Marocco, Rubio, and Musk have overseen an agency-wide freeze on foreign aid spending. Despite a lawsuit temporarily blocking mass furloughs of USAID employees, funding remains frozen, and the agency has even lost its Washington headquarters lease.
What People Are Saying
Washington-based Chemonics International stated in a lawsuit against the Trump administration: “One cannot overstate the impact of that unlawful course of conduct: on businesses large and small forced to shut down their programs and let employees go; on hungry children across the globe who will go without; on populations around the world facing deadly disease; and on our constitutional order,” the U.S. businesses and organizations said.
Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “USAID IS DRIVING THE RADICAL LEFT CRAZY, AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE WAY IN WHICH THE MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT, SO MUCH OF IT FRAUDULENTLY, IS TOTALLY UNEXPLAINABLE. THE CORRUPTION IS AT LEVELS RARELY SEEN BEFORE. CLOSE IT DOWN!”
Senator Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, said on X (formerly Twitter): “There’s an outbreak of Ebola in Uganda. There’s an outbreak of Marburg’s disease in Tanzania. Thousands of American diplomats leaving their posts abruptly. We just look so weak and a bit nuts. Foreign policy is hard, but this is just a very big early blunder.”
What Happens Next
In response to the USAID cutbacks, seven Republican lawmakers from farm states introduced legislation to protect a $1.8 billion food aid program, Food for Peace, by transferring its management from USAID to the Department of Agriculture. Farmers, a key political constituency for Trump, have also suffered from the aid freeze.
Update: 2/11/25, 8 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update: 2/11/25, 7:47 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Reporting by The Associated Press contributed to this story.
The post Donald Trump Fires USAID Watchdog Who Issued Oversight Warning appeared first on Newsweek.
