Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are calling for a congressional hearing addressing President Donald Trump’s purge of independent agency watchdogs last month.
In a letter Wednesday, a group of seven senior committee Democrats, led by ranking member Frank Pallone of New Jersey, slammed Republicans for failing to respond to Trump’s broad dismissal of the inspectors general, including some at the Energy Department and EPA.
According to the letter, 19 inspectors general have thus far been dismissed without the legally required notification of Congress. A number have sued to keep their positions.
The Democrats asked committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), head of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, to schedule a hearing on the inspector general dismissals.
