A day after his office released a report criticizing the President Donald Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the White House dismissed Paul Martin as the agency’s inspector general on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Paul Martin, who had to be confirmed by the US Senate, has been the agency’s inspector general since December 2023.
The article claims that Trent Morse, the deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, notified Martin of his termination.
According to Reuters, Martin received an email from Trent Morse informing him that his tenure as USAID inspector general was terminated “effective immediately.” But no particular explanation was given.
According to a report released earlier Monday by the USAID IG’s office, the Trump administration’s decision to destroy USAID has severely hampered its capacity to oversee $8.2 billion in unspent funds.
Additionally, the report noted that stop-work orders and personnel reductions have made it challenging to guarantee that taxpayer-funded help reaches its intended recipients.
The majority of U.S. foreign aid has been suspended since January 20, when U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office and declared he wanted to make sure it was in line with his “America First” agenda policy.
The United States stopped funding hundreds of USAID programs around the world, which accounted for billions of dollars in aid.
President Trump referred to USAID as “incompetent and corrupt” on Tuesday, and he charged entrepreneur Elon Musk with reducing the organization’s workforce, which included over 10,000 employees both domestically and abroad.
The Trump Administration attempted to place the majority of USAID employees on administrative leave last week, but a judge stopped the action on Friday.
The reports of Reuters said the United States provided $72 billion in aid globally in FY 2023 for projects ranging from energy security and anti-corruption efforts to HIV/AIDS treatments, clean water access, and women’s health in war areas. Additionally, 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the UN in 2024 came from the US.
