Top Senate Democrats on Friday asked the internal watchdogs of more than a dozen government agencies to investigate job cuts carried out at the direction of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency operation.
The request was made in a letter signed by 15 Democratic senators and one independent who serve on government oversight committees. The senators asked the watchdogs, known as inspectors general, to look at future job cuts as well.
Government human resources officials are currently contending with court orders to reinstate about 20,000 probationary employees who were fired in February. A pair of federal judges ruled this month that those firings were illegal, done at the direction of the Office of Personnel Management and members of Mr. Musk’s operation — neither of which have the authority to order personnel changes.
In addition, agencies are making plans for another round of massive cuts in order to shrink the size of government, per the instructions of President Trump and Mr. Musk, who is serving as a top adviser in the government-gutting effort.
Senators asked that the agency watchdogs review not just the probationary firings but all of the personnel actions of the Trump White House, including placing 75,000 employees on administrative leave and offering buyouts. Mr. Trump also fired 17 agency inspectors general just days into his second term in office. Now most of these offices are led by a deputy, assistant or acting inspector general.
Among the watchdogs the senators wrote to include those at the departments of Justice, Education and Treasury.
In addition, the senators want the inspectors general to “evaluate whether such actions violate agency policies or procedures, and whether these decisions could — contrary to the administration’s stated aim — create additional waste and inefficiency or allow fraud or misconduct in impacted federal programs to go unchecked,” Senators Gary Peters of Michigan, Ron Wyden of Wyoming and others wrote.
Mr. Peters is the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Mr. Wyden is the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.