President Trump has nominated Dennis Kirk, a former White House official and contributor to the conservative Project 2025 programme, to become inspector general at the Department of the Interior. The role is intended to independently investigate waste, fraud and misconduct within the department, so the nomination has prompted concerns about whether a politically aligned appointee could preserve the office’s independence.

Kirk worked in the White House Office of Personnel Management during Trump’s first term and co-authored a Project 2025 chapter advocating a major decentralisation and privatisation of government. His nomination follows Trump’s dismissal of Interior’s previous inspector general, Mark Greenblatt, alongside numerous other federal watchdogs in January 2025; Greenblatt has said overt political leanings in such a role could affect investigations and discourage whistleblowers. The appointment requires Senate confirmation.