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Regular-article-logo Monday, 23 December 2024

President removes spending watchdog

Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it 'part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation' by Trump

Reuters Washington Published 08.04.20, 08:10 PM
President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House

President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House (AP photo)

President Donald Trump removed the inspector general (IG) who was to oversee the government’s $2.3 trillion coronavirus response, a spokeswoman for the official’s office said on Tuesday, fueling concerns in Congress about oversight of the relief package.

It was the Republican President’s most recent broadside against the federal watchdogs who seek to root out government waste, fraud and abuse following his removal on Friday of the intelligence community’s IG and his sharp criticism of the one who oversees the department of health and human services.

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Glenn Fine, acting defence department inspector general, was named last week to chair a committee acting as a sort of uber-watchdog over the federal government’s response to the new coronavirus, including health policy and the largest economic relief package in US history.

But Trump has since designated the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general to be the new acting Pentagon IG, a spokeswoman said, meaning Fine is not eligible for the role overseeing the coronavirus package, known as the Cares Act.

Politico first reported Fine’s ouster, saying he would resume his post as the Pentagon’s principal deputy inspector general.

Congressional Democrats said Fine’s removal, less than a week after his appointment, reinforced their determination to strictly oversee the massive spending package passed last month to prop up the economy as the country grapples with the disease.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation” by Trump.

“We will continue to exercise our oversight to ensure that this historic investment of taxpayer dollars is being used wisely and efficiently,” she said in a statement.

Trump largely shrugged off a question about Fine’s removal, saying it was his prerogative, that he had recently nominated a number of people to serve as agency IGs and suggesting he was removing those appointed under his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama.

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