Security agents escorted the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) out of her office Monday after she refused to comply with her firing by President Donald Trump, Reuters first reported.
Phyllis Wong, a 22-year veteran of the department, reportedly earlier informed colleagues of her intention to stay, arguing in an email obtained by the outlet that Trump’s termination orders “do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time.”
The White House defended its termination of Fong and other inspectors general in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “These rogue, partisan bureaucrats who have weaponized the justice system against their political enemies are no longer fit or deserve to serve in their appointed positions, and they have been relieved of their duties in order to make room for qualified individuals who will uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy,” the White House statement stated.
BREAKING: Security removes USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong from her office after defying Trump’s termination orders. pic.twitter.com/4DkbRddmT4
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 29, 2025
BREAKING: Security removes USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong from her office after defying Trump’s termination orders. The White House terminated Fong along with 16 other federal inspectors general via email Friday. The USDA inspector general position carries broad oversight authority within the agency, with jurisdiction over all programs, personnel and operations under the USDA’s umbrella, from farm subsidies to food safety regulations.
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Chairman Hannibal Ware wrote in a letter to the White House Friday that the president’s dismissals may have violated federal law, saying they lacked the “substantive rationale” required to fire an inspector general.
Ware also cited a 2022 amendment to the Inspector General Act (5 U.S. Code §403) requiring the president to notify Congress of an inspector general’s dismissal 30 days in advance — Trump terminated Fong and others “effective immediately.” The firings affected a broad swath of executive agencies, including the departments of State, Energy, Defense, Interior and Transportation.
“I don’t know them, but some people thought that some were unfair or were not doing the job. It’s a very standard thing to do,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One in defense of the dismissals Sunday. He added that “not all of them” were removed.
Former President George W. Bush nominated Fong as USDA inspector general in 2002 and served until her dismissal Friday, despite remaining in the office until Monday.
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