Paul Martin, former inspector general at USAID, speaks about the need for independent oversight bodies within federal government agencies.

Paul Martin spent nearly 40 years in public service and can share reflections on the importance of government oversight to American democracy.

He was Inspector General at USAID until February, 2025. Since then, he has written and spoken in print and television interviews and documentaries regarding the closure of USAID and, more broadly, the damage to the almost half-century-old system of independent oversight by Inspectors General in light of the firing of 20 Presidentially appointed IGs since late January.

In addition to his time as Inspector General at USAID, he served as the presidentially appointed/Senate confirmed IG at NASA for 14 years, the Deputy IG at the Department of Justice, and Vice Chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee that coordinated oversight of $5 trillion in emergency federal pandemic spending.

Martin holds a degree in journalism from Penn State. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in Greenville, South Carolina, and later attended Georgetown Law School after catching what he described as the "law bug" while covering courts for the newspaper.