NYU Law Forum—Why Inspectors General Matter

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In what media reports called a “Friday night massacre,” President Donald Trump fired more than a dozen inspectors general (IGs) on January 24. This thrust many questions into the limelight: Who are inspectors general, and what do they do? What degree of independence do they have under the various statutes that, since 1978, have established them in dozens of agencies with a mandate to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in government—and how might that independence be curtailed by the current Supreme Court? While Trump is not the first president to institute a mass purge of IGs, how should his move be viewed in the context of other actions he has taken, including removal of others in positions to check executive authority—such as the top legal officers in the military—and the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency? Are there any reforms that Congress should enact to protect the ability of IGs to function as agency watchdogs? At this Forum, three former IGs, including two just ousted by Trump and one who has published a recent book about IGs, will consider these and other questions.
 

• Glenn Fine, Acting Inspector General, US Department of Defense, 2016–20; Inspector General, US Department of Justice, 2000–11; Author, Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle for Honest and Accountable Government (2024)
• Mark Greenblatt, Inspector General, US Department of the Interior, 2019–25
• Christi Grimm, Inspector General, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022–25

Moderator

• Rachel Barkow, Charles Seligson Professor of Law, NYU Law