In 2022, the inspector general’s office launched an investigation of Elon Musk’s brain implant startup Neuralink, which remains ongoing, sources said. In recent years, the office has also taken on animal abuse at dog breeders for research labs and the listeria outbreak at Boar’s Head, among other issues.

Phyllis Fong, a 22-year veteran, said the Trump administration had not followed proper protocols, according to Reuters sources.

In a rare bipartisan move, the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to President Trump seeking an explanation for why he fired 18 inspectors general, who serve as federal agency watchdogs.