The Latest: Trump and Elon Musk defend their attempts to downsize the federal government

President Donald Trump made a rare appearance with Elon Musk, his most powerful adviser, in the Oval Office on Tuesday before signing an executive order to continue downsizing the federal workforce.

Musk called federal employees an “unelected” fourth branch of government that needed to be held accountable. It was Musk’s first public appearance since assuming control of the new Department of Government Efficiency, which he and his employees have largely conducted in secret and without accountability.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.

Here's the latest:

White House fires USAID inspector general after warning about funding oversight, official says

The White House fired the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday, a U.S. official said.

It comes a day after the watchdog’s office warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID had made it all but impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in humanitarian funds.

The official, who had direct knowledge of the firing, was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The White House gave no reason for the firing, the official said. The dismissal was first reported by CNN.

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Associated Press reporter Ellen Knickmeyer contributed reporting.

Hegseth didn’t request upgrades to his new military residence, official says

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t request more than $137,000 in repairs and upgrades to military housing at Fort McNair that will become his official residence, said a U.S. official familiar with the work order.

The official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of Hegseth’s housing and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, says the Army undertook the repairs on its own because the more than 100-year-old home had sat vacant for a year and needed security upgrades.

The cost came to light in a Jan. 30 notification to Congress from the Army and prompted calls for greater transparency by some Democratic lawmakers.

The Army chose the home for Hegseth based on what was available, and he didn’t seek the repairs, some of which are needed to bolster safety for the defense secretary, who is sixth in the line of succession for the presidency, the official said.