Former OPM inspector general testifies that oversight has been weakened, cites removals and disruptions

A former inspector general for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management told a congressional committee that the Trump administration has "attempted to dismantle the entire ecosystem of oversight that protects against fraud, corruption, and cronyism in the federal government." The witness, who did not provide their name in the transcript, said they were removed from their position last January along with 16 colleagues.

The witness said inspectors general were created by Congress to provide independent checks inside agencies and described recent removals and funding cuts as undermining those safeguards. "IGs were created by Congress to serve as independent checks within agencies," the witness said, adding that inspectors general "serve as a trusted source of unbiased information that is not tainted with partisan politics."

The testimony included several concrete claims and figures. The witness said they had been confirmed by the U.S. Senate in April 2022, served nearly three years, and that the OPM Office of Inspector General identified "over 300,000,000 in potential savings for OPM" in fiscal year 2024. They also asserted that their removal and that of other IGs occurred with "no notice of my removal... nor rationale for those decisions," and described that as a violation of reforms to the Inspector General Act intended to require a substantive, case-specific rationale provided 30 days in advance of removal.

The witness alleged that an entity they referred to as "Doge" had been embedded in agencies and targeted OPM specifically, claiming "Doge personnel demanded access to sensitive data related to federal employees" and that the group "used OPM resources to send threatening emails to federal employees and announced efforts to reduce the workforce." The transcript does not define "Doge," and that term was not clarified during the testimony.

The witness also said the administration removed the independent head of the Office of Special Counsel and that, in September, "SIGI's funding was cut off by the White House," leaving some OIG websites and whistleblower hotlines unavailable and preventing routine trainings. Those claims were presented as allegations in the witness's testimony and were not disputed or confirmed during the recorded remarks.

As an exception, the witness pointed to work by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, citing a report that found Secretary Hegseth "put troops' lives in danger" and violated federal recordkeeping laws by discussing strike plans on an unsecured group chat. The testimony named other removals of IGs at agencies including USAID, the Export-Import Bank, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The witness urged Congress to enforce statutory protections for independent oversight and closed by appealing directly to the inspector general community to remain committed to their oversight mission. "You are called to hold your agencies accountable and to speak up," the witness said, adding, "now is a time when America needs you more than ever." The committee record in the transcript does not indicate immediate legislative action or a vote; the speaker's remarks functioned as testimony and a call for further congressional oversight.