The White House has dismissed the independent inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Tuesday evening, just a day after his office released a scathing report on the consequences of the Trump administration’s efforts to significantly reduce the agency’s mission.
Paul K. Martin, appointed by President Joe Biden in December 2023, was notified of his termination via a two-sentence email from Trent Morse, deputy director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, as per a copy of the email obtained by The Washington Post. Martin oversaw a team of 275, with offices in a dozen countries.
“On behalf of President Donald Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” Morse wrote.
Three individuals familiar with the situation confirmed that Martin had been fired. This action follows Trump’s January 24 decision to dismiss 17 inspectors general, a move that appears to have violated a law mandating the administration notify Congress 30 days prior to such firings.
Michael Missal, former inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs and one of the officials dismissed by Trump last month, said, “Look what happens when you write a report critical of this administration: They fire you the next day. This chills independent oversight, and that’s exactly what we need right now.”
Martin, 65, declined to comment. With four decades of federal service under his belt, including roles as a staffer at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, counsel at the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office, and NASA’s inspector general for 14 years, Martin had spent the past 14 months at USAID.
His firing came shortly after his office published a report warning that over $489 million in food assistance could spoil or be diverted due to the Trump administration’s aid freeze and stop-work order.
Though most USAID staff have been placed on paid leave by the administration, Martin’s staff continued to work, according to people familiar with the matter.
The report, issued on Monday, found that despite a waiver for emergency food assistance, shipments of in-kind aid were delayed globally because USAID-funded implementers received conflicting instructions, and staff were unable to provide clear guidance due to communication restrictions.
Trump’s freeze on foreign assistance and the stop-work order also affected various global programs, from HIV prevention in Africa to demining in Cambodia and antimalaria efforts, even as Secretary of State Marco Rubio attempted to issue exemptions for “lifesaving” aid.
