Trump's Trials - Trump claims expanded power over independent agencies

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to give the president greater power over independent regulatory agencies — government entities Congress set up to be shielded from White House control.Well-known independent regulatory agencies include the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which issues recalls and safety warnings; the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees markets; and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures bank deposits.Support NPR and hear every episode sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detro and you're listening to Trump's terms from NPR. We're going to be doing all sorts of things nobody ever thought was even possible. It's going to be a very aggressive first hundred days of the new Congress. An unpredictable, transformative next four years. The United States is going to take off like a rocket ship. Each episode we bring you NPR's coverage of President Trump acting on his own terms. And that means sometimes doing things that no American president has tried before. NPR is covering it all in stories

like the one you are about to hear right after this. I'm Mary Louise Kelly. Amid its constant stream of executive orders, the Trump administration signed one on Tuesday that expands his power over independent agencies. Independent agencies, well like the name suggests, those agencies have long had some freedom from a president's whims. Trump wants to change that. This is part of a string of actions aimed at expanding presidential power. NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

here is here to explain, Danielle. Hi. Danielle Pletka Hey, Mayor Louise. Mayor Louise Hey, okay. So explain. And I guess start with just because it might not be immediately clear why this is important. Why is it? Danielle Pletka Right. Well, let me start with some super basics. In the executive branch, there are two broad types of agencies. There are executive agencies and that includes departments everyone knows, the Department of Defense, Department of Justice. And then there are these independent agencies. Those have been set up by Congress with some insulation from presidential power. Now, these

are often agencies that have some sort of specialized knowledge for creating regulations. Think of the SEC really understanding the stock market, for example. But also there's often at these agencies a board or commission leading them and the members have staggered terms. And a result of that is their stability across presidential administrations for what rules they make, for example. So those agencies include things like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which puts out those recalls on unsafe products. There's the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the FDIC, which insures bank deposits. Now, one big way these

agencies are independent is that the Supreme Court has said the president can't fire their heads for political reasons. And also, these agencies haven't had to run their rulemaking by the White House, but that is where this order comes in. Aaron Ross Powell Okay. So what does this order do? Danielle Pletka Well, it says these agencies now do have to run new regulations by the White House. And in addition, it says these agencies now need to have White House liaisons and also check in to make sure that what they're doing aligns with White House policy. And central to all of this is the Office of Management and Budget whose director is Russell Vogt. He has been a big proponent of giving the

president this kind of power. And relatedly, Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for remaking the government, also advocates for presidents claiming this power. Danielle Pletka I'm still trying to wrap my head around what this actually is. Like, give me an example of what this could look like in practice. Sure. So here's one hypothetical, and it is, I want to stress, this is a hypothetical, but let's say the SEC wants to say, impose a new rule on cryptocurrency. They would now have to run it by the White House.

Now that's a big deal in and of itself. They haven't had to do that. But now imagine, for example, that the president has a cryptocurrency as Trump does. So this sets up the White House, first of all, to have a say in some really important areas like finance, but it also could raise legal and ethical questions as its effects play out. But also I want to add something else. As one legal expert told me, if this executive order were to become the norm, it could create legal or regulatory whiplash with rules potentially changing with any new administration. And I mentioned, Danielle, we are watching Trump use the second

term in the White House to test and expand presidential powers. How does this fit in? Well, it goes hand-in- hand with the fact that he has fired top people at some of these agencies, like the National Labor Relations Board. And like I said earlier, the Supreme Court a long time ago said the president has limited powers in getting rid of those heads. Well, some of those people have filed suit saying our firings were illegal. So this really sets up yet more clashes between those agencies and the presidency. And NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtz, thank you so much. Before we wrap up a reminder, you can find more coverage of the incoming Trump administration on the NPR Politics Podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks as always to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of

the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detro. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR. There is a lot happening right now in the world of economics. You may have heard about the president's desire for a sovereign wealth fund. If your country is small, well governed and has a surplus, it is probably a good idea. We are not any of those. We're here to cover federal buyouts, the cost of deportation and so much more. Tune in to MPR's The Indicator from Planet Money.

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