John Walk,
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture
John Walk was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 2025. He was sworn in as USDA Inspector General on January 5, 2026.
Inspector General Walk leads the Office of Inspector General (OIG), comprised of nearly 400 employees including criminal investigators, auditors, attorneys, analytics staff, and administrative professionals. The OIG is dedicated to serving America’s farmers and ranchers by promoting the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of and preventing and detecting waste, fraud, and abuse regarding USDA’s programs and operations. OIG’s work is accomplished through independent and objective audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews. By fulfilling its statutory authorization under the Inspector General Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 401-424, OIG safeguards the integrity, transparency, and accountability of USDA to the American people. Inspector General Walk is also a general officer of USDA and delegated additional responsibilities by the Secretary pursuant to 7 CFR §§ 2.4 and 2.33.
Inspector General Walk held previous positions at USDA as Judicial Officer for five years – making final agency decisions in formal administrative litigation and dispute resolution proceedings. He was also Senior Advisor to the Secretary from July 2025 until January 2026. Beginning in 2017 until 2020, Inspector General Walk served as Associate Counsel to the President at the White House Counsel’s Office. He provided legal advice on executive actions, regulations, and numerous federal programs across the United States government. Prior to that, he held various legal roles at the Department of Homeland Security from 2008 to 2017 handling federal court litigation and providing legal counsel. Earlier in his career he worked at an international law firm in Washington, DC and on congressional staff.
Inspector General Walk earned a bachelor’s degree in politics from Occidental College and a Juris Doctor from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. He is originally from Seattle, Washington.