On Tuesday, Paul Martin, the Inspector General of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was fired a day following the agency filed a report of the US President Donald Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency, according to the media reports. Trent Morse Deputy Director Office of Presidential Personnel informed Martin in an email, which read, “On behalf of President Donald J. 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,” it added.
Martin confirmed the termination by replying to the email, expressing, “It has been a true honour and pleasure to walk alongside my OIG colleagues around the world as we sought to provide independent and aggressive oversight of USAID programs and personnel. Take care of yourselves and take care of each other. And, as always, thank you for what you do and how you do it.”
This development comes days following Donald Trump assumed office and fired over a dozen inspector generals from federal agencies. However, USAID’s inspector general had remained in place until now.
About USAID
It was founded by President John F. Kennedy during the Cold War in 1961, USAID was created as an independent agency to counter Soviet influence abroad through foreign assistance. Although the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, USAID’s mission endures, with supporters arguing that US aid helps combat Russian and Chinese influence in several regions.
For the second time after returning to the Oval House, Donald Trump on his first day signed several crucial executive orders including one that stopped all international spending on pause for a 90-day review. Earlier, the White House published a list of USAID projects terming them evidence of “waste and abuse”, including a grant of $1.5m to an LGBTQ group in Serbia and $6m for tourism in Egypt.
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