Donald Trump · Republican · Executive Order
Asserting Presidential Control Over Independent Agencies (EO 14215)
Feb 18, 2025
Donald TrumpGovernment & WorkforceExecutive OrderEO 14215Second term (2025–)
📜 View the official record — Executive Order 14215 on federalregister.gov
What happened
Directed independent regulatory agencies — the FTC, FCC, SEC, FEC and others — to submit major rules for White House review, install White House liaisons, and follow the President's and Attorney General's legal interpretations. The Fed's monetary-policy function was exempted, but its bank-supervision role was not.
How it happened
Executive order signed February 18, 2025, asserting a 'unitary executive' theory of control over agencies Congress designed to be independent.
Documented impact
Negative impactsubstantiated
Asserts unprecedented central control over agencies built to be insulated from political influence.
For the first time, OMB gains pre-publication review and spending oversight of independent regulators like the SEC, FTC, FCC and FEC, and bars them from advancing legal positions contrary to the President's.
Negative impactcontested
Challenged in court as undermining congressionally mandated independence.
The DNC, DCCC and DSCC sued days later, arguing it unlawfully politicizes bodies like the FEC; the dispute feeds a broader fight over removal power and agency independence.
Positive impactcontested
Supporters say it restores democratic accountability over unelected regulators.
Backers of the unitary-executive view argue all executive power flows from the elected President, so agencies should answer to him.
Sources
Every claim above links to its source. Primary record and cited reporting: