Democrats propose inspector general specifically for Trump

• Democrats previously tried to push through a package of government reforms that included strengthened protections for inspectors general when they last held control of Congress.
• Since re-entering office this year, Trump has purged numerous agency inspectors general, firing around a dozen of the independent watchdogs within days of his inauguration.

Driving the news: The bill was introduced Wednesday by Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) and Eugene Vindman (D-Va.).

• Called the BEACON Act, the 11-page bill would create an inspector general for the Executive Office of the President, which includes the White House staff, National Security Council and Office of Management and Budget.
• The president would only be able to block an IG investigation if it involved confidential information, and the IG would have to release an annual report on whether it has "full and direct access" to necessary information.
• The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an independent body that oversees inspectors general, would also audit the IG annually to determine whether it is facing undue political pressure.

What they're saying: "Establishing an Office of the Inspector General inside the Executive Office of the President will help ensure that no President or administration is above the law," Schiff said in a statement.

• DeLauro, in her statement, pointed to Trump's unilateral freezes on government spending and his firing of inspectors general.
• "This Administration is terrified of accountability and allergic to transparency," she said. "If they will not tell the American people the truth, then we must discover the truth."