Trump Gains Broad Authority to Dismiss Heads of Independent Agencies

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6–3 judgment that overturns the 1935 *Humphrey’s Executor v. United States* ruling, which had limited a president’s ability to remove officials of independent agencies. The new decision holds that a president may remove agency heads “at will,” giving the executive branch unprecedented leeway to replace leaders of bodies such as the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.

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Barely a week after his second inauguration in January 2025, President Donald Trump dismissed Jennifer Abruzzo, the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, and subsequently removed a string of senior officials from other independent agencies. Former FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter was also dismissed after a White House email deemed her service “inconsistent with the administration’s priorities.” The Merit Systems Protection Board has stopped describing itself as “independent” in internal communications. Legal analysts note that, while many replacements still require Senate confirmation, the ruling removes a key barrier that previously protected agency autonomy.

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Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Oliver Dunford said the reasoning could be applied broadly, making agencies that investigate and enforce laws—such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission—particularly vulnerable.

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Abruzzo told *The i Paper* that the ruling eliminates any check on the president’s ability to weaponize independent agencies, warning that agency leaders will temper decisions to avoid displeasing the executive. Slaughter argued that Congress created the FTC’s independence specifically to resist powerful corporations, regardless of which party holds the White House. McWhirter emphasized that the decision shrinks agencies’ capacity to carry out congressionally mandated programs, including education and teenage-pregnancy-prevention services.

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• “When any agency leader’s continued employment is subject to the whim of the president, they will make decisions that align with the president’s wishes,” — Jennifer Abruzzo

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• “Members will temper their decisions, even if it means that they are not fully comporting with the law’s stated purpose and goal.” — Robert McWhirter, an American constitutional lawyer

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• “Congress made the FTC independent so it could stand up to powerful corporations, no matter who is in the White House,” — Rebecca Slaughter, commissioner

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