Latest Trump Power Grab Aims To Destroy Independent Agencies
WASHINGTON — Late Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to seize total control of independent federal agencies created by acts of Congress and funded through congressional appropriations. These independent agencies include the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The executive order forces independent agencies to submit all proposed regulations for White House review. Moreover, it threatens that the Office of Management and Budget will “adjust” agency budgets according to the Trump administration’s whims.
The administration has already attempted to exert unprecedented control over federal agencies by unlawfully firing Democratic commissioners at the National Labor Relations Board, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission without adequate cause.
Free Press Co-CEO Craig Aaron said:
“This is what an unconstitutional power grab looks like. We urge Congress and reviewing courts to reject this outlandish attack on independent agencies.
“Congress created independent agencies so they would be free from undue interference and influence by any single administration or political party. This independence is necessary so they can tackle highly complex and technical issues that affect hundreds of millions of people and multibillion-dollar corporations without partisan meddling.
“Like any other president, Trump can — with the Senate's confirmation — put his political appointees in charge of agencies like the FCC, FTC and SEC; but, by design, these agencies also include appointees from the Democratic Party. This executive order constitutes a blatant abuse of executive power and is a slap in the face to Congress and the electorate.
“Donald Trump is trying to dismantle the democratic checks and balances that make our system work, and his only purpose is to seize unchecked power and replace public accountability with the whims of his loyalists. Congress must strenuously oppose and the courts must reject this illegal power grab.”
