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Trump fires inspector general who had been tasked with overseeing implementation of stimulus package

Posted at 12:56 PM, Apr 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-07 15:53:43-04

President Donald Trump has removed the man who had been tasked with overseeing the implementation of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package that he signed into law last month, according to Politico and The Washington Post.

Glenn Fine, the acting Inspector General for the Department of Defense, had been chosen by a panel of fellow inspectors general to oversee that funds spelled out by the CARE Act were properly distributed.

According to The Washignton Post , Fine will still remain Deputy Inspector General of the Defense Department. EPA Inspector General Sean O'Donnell will take over Fine's post as the watchdog for CARE Act funds, according to Politico.

Prior to the passage of the bill, Democrats balked at language that allowed Secretary Treasury Steve Mnuchin to control more than $50 billion in funds in funds to distressed industries. According to Politico, under the original version of the bill, Mnuchin had the power to "withhold the names of the companies that receive federal money and how much they get for up to six months if he so decides."

Democrats called that portion of the bill a "slush fund," and demanded more oversight on how funds would be distributed. The negotiations held up the passage of the bill for nearly another week.