District Court Ruling on Dismissal of IGs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement of Mark Lee Greenblatt on District Court Ruling on Dismissal of Inspectors General
Bethesda, MD, September 25, 2025 – Mark Lee Greenblatt, former Inspector General at the U.S. Department of the Interior and Chair of the Council of Inspectors General, issued the following statement regarding U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes’s ruling on the firing of U.S. Inspectors General:
“Judge Ana Reyes’s ruling confirms what many of us have long maintained: President Trump's January dismissals of Inspectors General were not only deeply troubling, they also violated the law. The court explicitly found that the administration failed to comply with the statute by not providing Congress with 30 days’ notice and by failing to offer a substantive, case-specific rationale for removal.
Though the court declined to rule on the larger constitutional question or order immediate reinstatement of the IGs, it acknowledged that the dismissals violated the law. As a nation of laws, that recognition matters. This opinion also underscores the central tenet for Inspectors General: independence is essential to effective oversight.
As the former Chair of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, I believe deeply in the mission and integrity of the inspector general community. IGs are nonpartisan watchdogs charged with protecting taxpayers by rooting out fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct. At a time when the American people are struggling to trust their government and everything is viewed with a heavy dose of skepticism, Inspectors General provide an unbiased and independent voice that the American people can trust.
Going forward, I hope this decision leads to renewed support for the role of the Inspectors General, greater protection for IGs’ independence, and increased understanding of the value that IGs add for taxpayers. The American people deserve nothing less than fair, objective, and independent oversight of their government.”
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