WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday blasted the Trump administration’s removal of the Inspector General tasked with overseeing the $2 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package passed by Congress last month:

“President Trump has effectively surrendered to COVID-19 by providing absolutely no meaningful federal leadership to stop the virus, and now he's trying to make sure no one finds out the details of his fatal negligence. By removing the Inspector General overseeing the delivery of COVID-19 relief funds before his job even started, President Trump is making clear his priority is avoiding responsibility and accountability, and keeping open a pathway to use the relief funds to reward friends and punish enemies. I’m working on legislation that would establish seven year terms for Inspectors General and only allow removal of them for cause. If recent events have shown us anything, it’s that we desperately need independent watchdogs to safeguard our system of government from political abuse,” said Murphy. 

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