CNN reports that the USAID Inspector General was dismissed following criticism of Trump's actions.

The Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been dismissed. This occurred the day after his agency released a report criticizing the actions of President Donald Trump's administration regarding the agency's dismantling.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing CNN.

According to the publication, the Deputy Director of the U.S. President’s Office of Personnel emailed Paul Martin, stating that his authority as the USAID Inspector General is "terminated, effective immediately."

A representative from the USAID Office of the Inspector General confirmed Martin's dismissal and noted that the reason for his termination was not specified. CNN has reached out to the White House for comments.

By law, the administration is required to notify Congress of the Inspector General's dismissal within 30 days and provide specific reasons for the dismissal of inspectors.

Martin had been serving as the Inspector General since December 2023. Although President Donald Trump dismissed inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies during his first week in office, the oversight body of USAID remained in place.

The Inspector General conducts investigations and audits any potential misconduct, fraud, waste, or abuse by the agency or its personnel, producing reports and recommendations.

Staff members of the USAID Office of the Inspector General were also informed that they no longer have access to their physical office space, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN. While the Trump administration closed the USAID headquarters building in Washington last week, staff of the oversight office were still allowed to work in the same building until Tuesday.

USAID Report

In a report published on Monday, the USAID Inspector General stated that the Trump administration's reduction of USAID staff and a large-scale freeze on foreign aid have made it difficult to track and respond to potential misuse of $8.2 billion in humanitarian assistance funded by American taxpayers.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to dismantle USAID, attempting to furlough thousands of directly hired USAID employees and terminate dozens of contractors working at the agency. Last Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked these plans and halted the expedited deportation of staff from around the world.

Although the Inspector General's report noted that the agency has long "identified significant issues and made recommendations for improving the agency's programs to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse," it clearly stated that the reduction in USAID staff and the freeze on foreign aid have negatively impacted oversight efforts.

Recall that on January 21, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a three-month suspension of all foreign aid programs to review their alignment with his foreign policy. Shortly thereafter, the USAID branch in Ukraine also suspended project operations and funding.

For more details on the situation, read the article by RBK-Ukraine "USAID on Pause. Why Ukraine's Billions Were Frozen and What the Consequences Will Be."