Phyllis Fong, a 22-year veteran of the department, had earlier told colleagues that she intended to stay after the White House terminated her Friday, saying that she didn’t believe the

The U.S. Department of Agriculture responded on Wednesday to reports claiming the agency’s former inspector general was forcibly removed from her office after resisting her dismissal from the Trump administration.

Currently, the HHS inspector general's website lists Juliet Hodgkins, principal deputy inspector general, as the highest-ranking member of the leadership team. Hodgkins joined the Office of Inspector General in 2011 and served as the office's acting chief of staff from 2020 to 2022, according to her bio.