Paul Martin, the inspector general of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was sacked by US President Donald Trump after his report chastised the White House for dismantling the agency.
The deputy director of the office of presidential personnel issued out an email on Tuesday night announcing Martin’s firing.
The words “Terminated, effective immediately” were included in the email.
In December 2023, Martin was named USAID inspector-general by former US President Joe Biden.
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.
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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.
