President Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday that seeks greater authority over regulatory agencies that Congress established as independent from direct White House control, part of a broader bid to centralize a president’s power over the government.

The order requires independent agencies to submit their proposed regulations to the White House for review, asserts a power to block such agencies from spending funds on projects or efforts that conflict with presidential priorities, and declares that they must accept the president’s and the Justice Department’s interpretation of the law as binding.

. . .

The order follows Mr. Trump’s summary firings of leaders of independent agencies in defiance of statutes that bar their removal without cause before their terms are up. Collectively, the moves constitute a major front in the president’s assault on the basic shape of the American government and his effort to seize some of Congress’s constitutional power over it.

MBFC
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  • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    So… when does Congress decide it wants to you know, actually keep some of its checks and balances? I’m guessing never?

    Every single GOP member who isn’t acting against this is officially a Quisling. Never forget how they handed the reigns of power to fascists on a platter.

  • BaldProphet@piefed.social
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    2 days ago

    When do we rise up? Waiting ten days to have a shopping strike feels like minimizing the severity of this crisis.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Let’s be clear. These are Soviet-style political officers whose sole job is to ensure agency loyalty to trump- not the us.

    It’s not gonna be long before agency leaders get dragged out and shot for disloyalty. Everyone whose instinct is “no! The courts will save us”… guess who protects judges? That’s right. The US marshal service. Every judge already has a (potential) political officer next to them.

  • hansolo@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    The insanity of this is that independent regulatory bodies are a global standard because otherwise any jackhole looking for a little state capture can do things like levy massive fines against media outlets they don’t like as a way to hobble them out of existence. Independence and nonpolitical staffing is a feature, not a bug.