Trump signed EO 14215, asserting presidential control over independent regulatory agencies and requiring OMB approval of their regulations
On February 18, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14215, "Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies," asserting presidential authority over independent regulatory agencies including the FEC, FTC, FCC, SEC, CFPB, and NLRB. The order required these agencies to submit significant rules to OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review before publication, and declared that the President's and Attorney General's legal interpretations are binding on all executive branch employees. Congress deliberately shielded these agencies from direct presidential control when it established them.
Actors
On February 18, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14215, "Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies," directing independent regulatory agencies — including the Federal Election Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and National Labor Relations Board — to submit all significant proposed rules to the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review before publication. The order also required these agencies to create White House liaison positions and to regularly consult with the White House.
Section 7 of the order declared that "the President and the Attorney General's opinions on questions of law are controlling on all employees in the conduct of their official duties," effectively requiring every executive branch employee to treat presidential and AG legal interpretations as binding regardless of their agency's independent statutory mandate. Independent regulatory agencies were established by Congress with specific insulation from presidential removal and direction precisely to prevent this kind of political influence over enforcement and rulemaking in areas like securities markets, labor relations, and election law.
The Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed suit on February 28, 2025, challenging the order's application to the Federal Election Commission as an unconstitutional violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act and Supreme Court precedent establishing limits on presidential removal authority over such bodies.
Why we recorded this
The separation of powers requires that agencies Congress deliberately insulated from White House control — the FEC, FTC, FCC, SEC, CFPB, and NLRB — operate independently of presidential direction. EO 14215 overrides that design by requiring these agencies to submit their rules for White House approval and by declaring the President's and Attorney General's legal interpretations binding on all federal employees. This archive records the order because it asserts direct presidential authority over bodies Congress created to function without it.
Sources
- Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies — Federal Register primary accessed June 28, 2026
- Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies — White House primary accessed June 28, 2026
- Washington, D.C. Federal Election Commission Independence Challenge — Democracy Docket secondary accessed June 28, 2026
See also
- Trump signed EO 14243 directing all agencies to grant DOGE officials unrestricted federal database access, superseding Privacy Act
- Trump signed presidential memo granting OPM authority to dismiss career civil servants based on post-appointment conduct
- Trump signed EO 14248 requiring documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form
- Trump signed EO 14287, creating 'sanctuary jurisdiction' list and ordering agencies to identify federal grants for withholding
- Trump signed EO 14347 directing Pentagon to adopt 'Department of War' name; DoD website rebranded to war.gov