In a sudden move that shook federal agencies, the Trump administration dismissed the nation’s top copyright official just days after removing the Librarian of Congress. Shira Perlmutter, who had been serving as the head of the U.S. Copyright Office—a branch of the Library of Congress—was abruptly terminated without prior public warning.

According to an announcement from the Copyright Office, Perlmutter received a direct email from the White House notifying her of her removal. The message reportedly read: “Your position as the Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office is terminated, effective immediately.”

This action followed closely on the heels of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden’s dismissal. Both moves appear to be part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to replace officials perceived as resistant to its policy agenda. Hayden had appointed Perlmutter to lead the Copyright Office in October 2020, making the sudden termination of both figures particularly notable.

According to reports from The Associated Press, both Hayden and Perlmutter were informed of their removals via email, a method that has raised eyebrows due to its abrupt and impersonal nature. The letter to Hayden read, in part: “Carla, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”

Meanwhile, in a separate federal case, a USAID employee was charged with defrauding the federal government through a fabricated company designed to secure coronavirus relief funds for personal gain. Prosecutors revealed that Yusuf Akoll, a Senior Procurement Contract Specialist at USAID, had created the sham business Naagode Consulting LLC and applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under false pretenses.

Court filings indicate that from March to August 2021, Akoll submitted materially false statements to obtain approximately $16,666 in relief funds to which he was not entitled. To qualify, he falsely claimed that his company had been operating since January 2020, despite PPP requirements stipulating that eligible businesses must have been operational prior to February 2020. He also misrepresented the company’s earnings, asserting it had made $40,000 in 2019, even though the company did not exist at that time.

This case underscores weaknesses in federal oversight during the pandemic. Officials from the Small Business Administration (SBA) reportedly did not verify the company’s registration date, which is publicly available in state records, nor did they cross-check the claimed income against tax filings. The lack of due diligence highlights systemic vulnerabilities in how relief funds were distributed.

The fraudulent scheme also reflects the broader challenges faced by USAID, which has oversight over hundreds of thousands of dollars directed to foreign countries—funds that are often difficult to monitor effectively. The agency has since been shut down, with many of its remaining responsibilities absorbed by the State Department amid longstanding concerns about financial mismanagement and oversight gaps.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal relief funds were often distributed under a “pay and chase” model, in which speed of disbursement was prioritized over rigorous verification. The intention was to quickly deliver aid, with the assumption that fraudulent claims could be identified and recovered later. However, the Biden administration later announced that loans under $100,000 would largely not be pursued for repayment, citing equity concerns. While most of these loans were eligible for forgiveness, recipients who did not meet the criteria were technically still required to repay the funds.

Taken together, these developments illustrate two separate but troubling patterns in federal administration: first, the abrupt dismissal of top officials in key federal agencies, and second, systemic vulnerabilities in oversight that allowed fraudulent activity to occur with relative ease. Both incidents reflect ongoing debates over accountability, transparency, and the processes that govern federal agencies’ most critical functions.

In the case of the Copyright Office, questions remain about the long-term impact of leadership changes on intellectual property policy, while the fraud at USAID underscores the ongoing need for stricter financial controls and transparency mechanisms in federal relief programs. The timing of both events—occurring amid broader political transitions—adds an additional layer of complexity and uncertainty to an already turbulent federal landscape.