President Trump has nominated Dennis Kirk, a former White House personnel official and contributor to the conservative Project 2025 policy plan, to become inspector general at the Department of the Interior. The role is intended to independently investigate misconduct and waste within the department, so the nomination has prompted scrutiny over whether the office can remain politically independent.

Kirk served in the White House Office of Personnel Management during Trump’s first term and co-authored a Project 2025 chapter advocating major changes to the federal government. Critics, including the department’s former inspector general Mark Greenblatt, argue that a nominee with clear political affiliations could affect investigations and discourage whistleblowers; the nomination requires Senate confirmation.