Trump nominates Project 2025 author Dennis Kirk as Interior Department inspector general

President Donald Trump nominated Dennis Kirk, a Project 2025 co-author, to be inspector general of the Interior Department, even though he is reportedly already serving there as a political appointee.

On August 7, President Donald Trump nominated Dennis Kirk, a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, to serve as inspector general of the Interior Department. Kirk is already alleged to be working inside the Interior IG office as a political appointee, a point emphasized by former IG Mark Lee Greenblatt and Rep. Jared Huffman, who contend his close ties to the administration compromise the office’s impartiality.

Kirk previously co-authored a Project 2025 chapter on civil-service management, was once slated for the Merit Systems Protection Board chairmanship, and held senior roles at the Office of Personnel Management and the intelligence-community IG. Legal analyst Steve Katz warned the nomination may violate statutes and GAO standards that demand IGs be selected without regard to political affiliation. The controversy adds to broader concerns about the Trump administration placing partisan figures in oversight positions at agencies such as HUD and Labor. Senate Democrats have also asked the Interior IG to investigate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation after related charges were dropped.