(5MinNewsBreak.com) – Reclaiming executive authority over an agency that has overstepped its bounds, President Donald Trump fired two Democrat Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners.
Dismissed commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter immediately claimed the firings were illegal.
Their complaints have set up a showdown over presidential power that could reshape Washington’s regulatory landscape.
The White House decisively removed the commissioners as part of President Trump’s broader effort to rein in unelected bureaucrats who have wielded enormous power over Americans.
Both Bedoya and Slaughter have been vocal critics of the administration, and they have records of pursuing aggressive regulatory actions against American companies.
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter claimed:
“Today, the president illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent. Why? Because I have a voice, and he is afraid of what I’ll tell the American people.”
Republican FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson quickly defended the president’s action, emphasizing the constitutional basis for the decision.
“President Donald J. Trump is the head of the executive branch and is vested with all of the executive power in our government,” Ferguson stated, highlighting the president’s authority over the executive branch.
The dismissed commissioners have vowed to fight their removal, claiming protection under a 1935 Supreme Court case called Humphrey’s Executor v. United States.
However, many legal experts have long questioned whether independent agencies are constitutionally shielded as the Constitution vests executive power in the president.
The firings transform the FTC’s composition from three Democrats and two Republicans to just two Republican commissioners.
A third Republican nominee, Mark Meador, is currently awaiting Senate confirmation, which would establish a solid majority aligned with the administration’s vision for America.
The FTC currently has significant cases and regulatory actions underway, including data privacy rulemaking that many business leaders have criticized as overly burdensome.
The agency’s new direction under Republican leadership is expected to focus on combating fraud while reducing regulatory overreach that hampers economic growth and innovation.
Democrats in both chambers of Congress predictably expressed outrage.
Senator Amy Klobuchar claimed President Trump’s actions were “not only illegal but also hurts consumers by undermining an independent agency that Congress established to protect consumers from fraud, scams, and monopoly power.”
However, the president’s supporters pointed to the bloated bureaucracy that has grown increasingly unaccountable to voters.
They argue that agencies like the FTC have been weaponized against American businesses under the guise of “consumer protection” while actually advancing left-wing political agendas.
The legal battle ahead will likely test the limits of presidential authority over these “independent” agencies.
The Trump administration has already issued an executive order to increase White House control over regulatory agencies.
By doing so, the president is delivering on his campaign promise to drain the Washington swamp of unelected bureaucrats who wield enormous power without accountability.
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