Three oversight watchdogs fired at once

Summary

Within days Trump fired Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger of the Office of Special Counsel, MSPB member Cathy Harris, and FLRA chair Susan Tsui Grundmann, all of whom were removable only 'for cause' that was not alleged. The Merit Systems Protection Board lost its quorum around April 9, 2025, leaving thousands of fired employees without a functioning appeals board.

What happened

Trump fired Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, who leads the whistleblower-protection agency OSC, along with MSPB member Cathy Harris, who was three years into a seven-year term, and FLRA chair Susan Tsui Grundmann. All three are removable only for cause, which was not alleged in their dismissals. The MSPB lost its quorum around April 9, 2025, leaving thousands of fired employees without a functioning appeals board. The D.C. Circuit upheld the Harris firing in December 2025.

Impact on the United States

The firings simultaneously disabled the three bodies that protect whistleblowers, adjudicate wrongful-firing appeals, and referee labor disputes, removing core legal checks during a mass purge of the civil service.

Documented effects

1. Feb 2025Whistleblower-protection head Hampton Dellinger terminated without cause alleged[4]
2. Apr 2025MSPB lost its quorum around April 9, leaving thousands of fired workers without appeals[3]
3. Dec 2025D.C. Circuit upheld the Harris firing[6]

Why this is rated severe

Removing the leaders of three for-cause-protected oversight bodies at once, followed by the MSPB's loss of quorum, left fired federal employees without a functioning appeals board during large-scale federal workforce cuts.

Corrections & updates [5]

Every change to a fact on this page after publication is logged here, newest first.

1. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedName

   The FLRA chair's name is Susan Tsui Grundmann (Government Executive), not "Susan Grundman."[5]

2. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedSource

   The National Whistleblower Center statement is from an advocacy group and is replaced by CBS News reporting on the Feb. 7, 2025 firing email. The D.C. Circuit effect was cited to a February 2025 article that predates the ruling; Federal News Network reporting on the Dec. 5, 2025 panel decision is now cited. Two source dates corrected.[4][6]

3. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedWhat happened

   The entry said MSPB member Cathy Harris's term ran to 2028; that date is not in the cited sources. Government Executive reported she was three years into a seven-year term.[2]

4. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedSeverity rationale

   Reworded the severity rationale to describe what happened (three for-cause-protected leaders removed; MSPB lost quorum) rather than characterizing it as removing 'the system's core safeguards during a mass purge'. Severity unchanged.

   + Show previous and current text- Hide previous and current text

   Previously

   Knocking out three for-cause-protected oversight bodies at once removed the system's core safeguards during a mass purge.

   Now

   Removing the leaders of three for-cause-protected oversight bodies at once, followed by the MSPB's loss of quorum, left fired federal employees without a functioning appeals board during large-scale federal workforce cuts.

5. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedSource labels

   Source tier labels brought in line with the site's tier rule (specialist and trade publications are Tier 3; general news organizations are Tier 2): Government Executive (Tier 2 to 3); Federal News Network (Tier 2 to 3); Government Executive (Tier 2 to 3); Federal News Network (Tier 2 to 3). No claim in the entry changed.

Sources [5]