OAN Staff James Meyers
2:20 PM – Wednesday, February 12, 2025
The Trump administration has fired the inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is currently being accused of widespread fraud and money laundering, after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) discovered a slew of wasteful initiatives that were being funded by U.S. tax dollars.
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USAID Inspector General Paul Martin was officially fired on Tuesday, but rather than the announcement coming from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the current acting director of the federal agency, it was announced by the White House Office of Presidential Personnel — leading to more questions surrounding the departure.
This comes after Martin’s office published a six-page report on Monday arguing that the recent pause on foreign assistance programs and the slashing of USAID staff has prompted “risks and challenges to the safeguarding and distribution of USAID’s $8.2 billion in obligated but undisbursed humanitarian assistance.”
“Specifically, USAID’s existing oversight controls—albeit with previously identified shortcomings—are now largely non operational given these recent directives and personnel actions,” the office wrote in the report.
This also comes a day after USAID employees claimed that the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal agency had made it all but impossible to monitor its $8.2 billion in “humanitarian funds.”
A new law requires the Trump administration to give a 30-day notice to Congress members prior to terminating an inspector general, in addition to providing detailed evidence backing up the reason for the individual’s firing.
Two weeks ago, Trump fired at least 17 inspector generals in various federal departments.
Nonetheless, USAID employees have continued to face heavy scrutiny as DOGE, led by Elon Musk, investigates the agency’s spending and other financial initiatives — likely shutting the controversial agency down in the near future.
Additionally, USAID announced on its website earlier in the month that nearly all staff would be placed on leave, making exceptions only for those in roles related to “mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”
Multiple examples of USAID funds being sent to controversial individuals, groups, and programs have been revealed recently as well. Some initiatives include funding “pottery classes in Morocco,” the Clinton Foundation, totaling $7.49million, and a recent report that showed USAID paid an Al-Qaeda terrorist’s college tuition in Colorado.
Top Recipients of USAID Funding:
USAID provided assistance to around 130 countries in FY-2023. The top 10 recipients were:
- Ukraine
- Ethiopia
- Jordan
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Somalia
- Yemen
- Afghanistan
- Nigeria
- South Sudan
- Syria
In 1961, USAID was established under the John F. Kennedy administration, operating as an independent agency that works closely with the State Department to allocate U.S. taxpayer-funded foreign aid.
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