Former USDA inspector general defies Trump order, escorted from her office

Local leaves USDA rural state director position

YUMA, Ariz. (kYMA, KECY) - Changes at the state level for the United States Department of Agriculture are currently underway. Charlene Fernandez left her position as the USDA rural state director on January 20th after the Trump administration took over. “We’re just trying to make sure that our rural communities thrive,” said Fernandez. She is the first woman and hispanic to serve in the position. “The wonderful people that work for USDA, the car…

Trump vs. the Inspectors General

Phyllis K. Fong, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Agriculture—one of the inspectors general fired by President Trump on January 24, 2025—pictured in November 2018. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)HERE AND THERE AMONG THE DEMORALIZING and disturbing reports about Donald Trump’s rapid-fire assault on democratic institutions, there are stories of courage, of resistance, of people standing up for the rule of law and the Constitution.…

Fired Fed Booted By Security After REFUSING to Leave Her Office

by William Upton, The National Pulse: A top official at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—with a federal career spanning 22 years—had to be escorted from her office by security officials on Monday after she refused to leave following her firing by President Donald J. Trump last Friday. Phyllis Fong, the Inspector General for the USDA, […]

DC dispatch: a veteran Inspector General stands up for the rule of law, and is escorted from her office

Sharon Basch is a 3L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law filing occasional dispatches from Washington DC ths semester.  From the moment Donald Trump took office on January 20, one of his key goals has been to reduce the size of the US federal government, a vision he articulated frequently during his campaign. Once in office, this translated into the proposed dismantling of agencies, cuts to key services, and the creation of what was ca…

Fired Federal Official Defies Trump, Gets Forced Out by Security Agents

In Washington, D.C., career bureaucrats have turned government positions into permanent thrones. They’ve created an administrative state that operates beyond the reach of democratic accountability.... The post Fired Federal Official Defies Trump, Gets Forced Out by Security Agents appeared first on Patriot Journal.

USDA Inspector General Fired

Former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspector General Phyllis Fong was reportedly escorted from her office on Monday after refusing to comply with her termination. Fong, who served in the role for 22 years, was dismissed on Friday, January 26, 2025, as part of a broader restructuring of federal agencies by President Donald Trump’s administration. According to Reuters, Fong informed colleagues that she intended to continue working despit…