Donald Trump Expands His Power

Donald Trump has signed an executive order placing independent agencies under White House oversight, significantly extending his authority.

Why It Matters

Since taking office, Trump has sought to radically overhaul the federal government, firing hundreds of civil servants, and creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to advise on a substantial reduction in the size and scope of government.

But many critics say that Trump is going too far in his efforts, which are already facing legal action in the courts. His latest move is likely to add to those legal challenges.

What To Know

Under the order, independent agencies must appoint White House liaisons and "regularly consult with and coordinate policies and priorities" with the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, as well as the White House Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council.

The executive order directs Vought, in his role as director of the Office of Management and Budget, to "establish performance standards and management objectives" for the leaders of independent agencies and to "report periodically to the President on their performance and efficiency in attaining such standards and objectives." Additionally, it mandates that Vought review and adjust the agencies' budgets "as necessary and appropriate, to advance the President's policies and priorities."

"For the Federal Government to be truly accountable to the American people, officials who wield vast executive power must be supervised and controlled by the people's elected President," the order declares.

It also weakens the authority of agency attorneys by stating that "no employee of the executive branch acting in their official capacity may advance an interpretation of the law as the position of the United States that contravenes the President or the Attorney General's opinion on a matter of law."

Vought authored Project 2025's section on the OMB, where he argued for expanding the president's authorities and lessening the power of career civil servants, as well as placing the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies, under direct presidential control using "unitary executive theory."

The theory states that the president has the sole authority over the executive branch. It has long been considered a fringe theory, with many mainstream legal scholars arguing that it is illegal, given that Congress set the agencies up specifically to act independently, or semi-independently, from the president.

Past presidents have avoided challenging these agencies' independence, often steering clear of any appearance of interference. Agency leaders typically serve terms that extend beyond a single presidency to protect them from political influence.

But Trump is now trying to change that as he takes steps to radically dismantle the federal bureaucracy, one of the key proposals of Project 2025.

Trump has already fired multiple independent agency directors, including Gwynne Wilcox, chair of the National Labor Relations Board, the NLRB's general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, and Office of Government Ethics Director David Huitema. Wilcox has filed a lawsuit contesting her dismissal.

He has also begun mass firings of probationary workers at several government departments, including the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. General Services Administration, and the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and is reportedly preparing an executive order to eliminate the Education Department, delivering on one of his key campaign promises. Trump cannot unilaterally abolish a federal agency without the approval of Congress.

The plan to dismiss probationary workers has been in motion since Inauguration Day, when the acting head of the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo directing all agencies to compile and submit a list of their probationary employees. The January 20 directive emphasized that these workers could be more easily terminated.

That same day, Trump signed an executive order reclassifying thousands of federal employees as political hires, reviving "Schedule F," a policy from his first term that removes civil service protections and makes it easier to fire career employees.

Since then, the administration has sought to fire over 2,700 USAID workers and recall most stationed abroad. A federal judge blocked the move with a temporary restraining order, while Democrats argue dismantling USAID requires congressional approval.

What People Are Saying

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."

The White House said in a post on X: "This order aims to restore accountability and ensure that all agencies are subject to Presidential oversight, fulfilling Trump's promise to restore constitutional governance."

What Happens Next

The move is likely to face a lot of legal challenges.