Ms. Grimm, along with the former inspectors general of the Defense, State, Labor and other departments, filed a lawsuit Feb. 12 in federal district court in Washington, D.C. The inspectors general alleged their firing violated a federal law requiring the president to give Congress 30 days notice of his intent to fire any inspector general confirmed by the Senate.
The law also requires the president to provide “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons,” for choosing to fire an inspector general, according to the lawsuit.
On Jan. 24, Mr. Trump fired the inspectors general of at least 15 federal agencies. Mr. Trump told reporters the firings are a “very common thing to do,” according to the Washington Post.
“Some people thought that some [inspectors general] were unfair or some were not doing their job,” Mr. Trump said Jan. 24.
In their lawsuit, the inspectors general asked a judge to declare them “lawful IGs of their respective agencies unless and until the President lawfully removes them.”
HHS’ Office of the Inspector General is responsible for the oversight of Medicare and Medicaid, and employs more than 1,500 people. The OIG recovered an estimated $7.3 billion in funds through its work in 2024, according to its semiannual report to Congress.
Ms. Grimm was confirmed as HHS Inspector General in 2022. She first joined HHS’ OIG in 1999.
Juliet Hodgkins, principal deputy inspector general, is currently the highest-ranking official at HHS’ OIG, according to the agency’s website. Ms. Hodgkins served as deputy under Ms. Grimm.
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