The Trump administration has fired about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies, a sweeping action to remove oversight of his new administration that some members of Congress are suggesting violated federal oversight laws.

The White House defied a law that requires giving Congress 30 days’ notice and detailed reasons before removing the watchdog officials.

President Trump is defending his decision to fire 18 inspectors general Friday night. The inspectors, who are tasked with investigating fraud, abuse and waste, were removed from multiple federal agencies.

President Donald Trump fired the inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies in a Friday night purge, according to a Trump administration official, paving the way for him to install his own picks for the independent watchdog roles.

Several key U.S. Senate Republicans on Sunday defended President Donald Trump'sdecision to fire independent government watchdogs across at least 17 federal agencies, even though the move ran afoul of federal law.

President Donald Trump reportedly fired 17 inspectors general overnight. According to multiple outlets, most of the people fired were inspectors Trump had appointed during his first term. They were all notified by email from the White House personnel director that their firing was effective immediately.

Sen. Grassley and a top watchdog said Trump did not adhere to congressional notification requirements about such removals.