Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led Committee Democrats in introducing the “Protect Our Watchdogs Act,” and introduced the “Keep the Watchdogs Running Act,” to guard from any attempts to terminate inspectors general without cause and allow them to carry out their critical oversight work during a government shutdown.
“President Trump is methodically demolishing every safeguard against corruption, starting with his calculated purge of independent watchdogs tasked with holding him and his cronies accountable. This unlawful act was a blatant attack on our democracy and the safety of the American people. Congress must respond to President Trump’s contempt for oversight and accountability. That’s why, this Sunshine Week, I am introducing two bills that send a strong rebuke of President Trump’s unprecedented attacks on inspectors general. The Keep the Watchdogs Running Act would ensure inspectors general can stay on the job even during a Trump shutdown. The Protect Our Watchdogs Act, which I am introducing with my fellow Committee Democrats, would require that any attempt to terminate an inspector general is made ‘for cause’ and not at the whim of a power-hungry wannabe king or because his billionaire sidekick wants regulators off his back.”
Late in the evening on January 24, 2025, President Trump attempted to fire 17 inspectors general across 18 agencies by sending them a Friday night email stating they were “terminated, effective immediately” “due to changing priorities.” This action was unlawful, arbitrary, and done in the dead of night and without the required notice to Congress. Since then, President Trump terminated the USAID Inspector General, bringing to a total of 18 terminated inspectors general across 19 federal agencies.
Last week, President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ failure to come to the table to negotiate with Congressional Democrats brought the federal government to the brink of a shutdown. Such a lapse in funding would have taken many inspectors general off the job, preventing them from holding President Trump accountable to the American people and allowing the Administration to wage its assault on the government in the darkness of a shutdown. This is not unprecedented. In 2018, during President Trump’s first term, the government shut down for 35 days—the longest shutdown in government history. Last Congress, after then-candidate Trump and Elon Musk sabotaged funding talks, Congressional Republicans were left scrambling as they desperately tried to obey Trump and Musk’s orders, nearly shutting down the government in the process.
Click here to read the one pager for the Protect Our Watchdogs Act.
Click here to read the one pager for the Keep the Watchdogs Running Act.
