Whitehouse, Reed Join Fellow Ranking Members Urging Trump & Thune to Stop Gutting Independent Agencies, Blocking Democratic Nominees, and Handing Bipartisan Watchdog Posts to[...]

Washington, D.C. - As the Democratic leaders of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) and the Senate Armed Services Committee respectively, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) teamed up with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and fellow Senate Ranking Members Ron Wyden (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) in urging the White House and their Senate Republican counterparts to fill Democratic positions on key bipartisan commissions and boards and reinstate fired officials.

In a letter to President Trump and Senate Republican Majority John Thune (R-SD), the Democratic Ranking Members outline how the unjust firings and unfilled posts undermine the autonomy of independent agencies, citing the removal of Democratic leaders and the administration's refusal to nominate Democratic replacements to bipartisan leadership positions as required by statute.

The Senators express concerns over Trump's refusal to nominate or confirm Democratic commissioners and board members for openings that are required to have bipartisan membership, which threatens Americans' safety and undermines our democracy.

"As Ranking Members of Committees in the Senate responsible for overseeing independent agencies, we are concerned about the White House's lack of serious engagement with Senate Democrats to identify strong candidates to fill open positions. Rather than open meaningful discussions, the White House has shown no indication that it intends to nominate Democrats to critical roles across government," the Senators wrote.

The Senators emphasize that Trump has gone to great lengths to purge independent agencies of officials who oppose him. They also note that he has left vacancies unfilled at numerous agencies that Congress designed to be led by bipartisan commissions, undermining their independence and concentrating power in the hands of Trump loyalists.

"Congress designed these boards and commissions to be bipartisan and gave them the authority to regulate some of the most vital and significant parts of American life. But the Trump Administration appears intent on ensuring that it retains complete control over these agencies, with little interest in working in good faith with Congress. In a sharp break from precedent across Republican and Democratic administrations, you have refused in almost every instance to engage with Senate Democratic leadership in the normal process of identifying Democratic nominees to fill vacancies on independent agencies," the Senators wrote.

The Senators call for the administration to immediately reverse its stance, restore officials that were improperly removed, and ensure that Democratic vacancies on bipartisan commissions are filled with duly nominated Democratic appointees.

The Senators' effort follows Donald Trump and Senate Republicans' continued attempts to install Trump loyalists in offices that are structured to remain independent, eroding bipartisan safeguards designed to protect agencies from political influence. These concerns have been heightened by the recent nomination of Todd Blanche, a longtime Trump defense attorney, to serve as Attorney General, and Bill Pulte, a Trump ally with no background in intelligence, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence.

The full text of the letter follows:

Dear President Trump and Majority Leader Thune:

We write with serious concern about your refusal to nominate and confirm Democratic commissioners and board members to vacancies at a wide range of agencies specifically designed to have bipartisan membership. Your refusal follows President Trump's summarily firing numerous commissioners and board members last year without cause, raising concerns about the seriousness with which you are taking the Senate's constitutional role in providing advice and consent. As Ranking Members of Committees in the Senate responsible for overseeing independent agencies, we are concerned about the White House's lack of serious engagement with Senate Democrats to identify strong candidates to fill open positions. Rather than open meaningful discussions, the White House has shown no indication that it intends to nominate Democrats to critical roles across government.

President Trump has spent more than a year purging independent agencies of anyone who might dissent from his directives. Within months of taking office, in an unprecedented sweep, he purported to fire more than a dozen Democratic commissioners and board members across numerous federal agencies, including the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Far from reconsidering these decisions, the Trump Administration has continued to litigate against commissioners or board members who have challenged their removal.

President Trump has also failed to fill positions at numerous other agencies that are statutorily structured to be led by bipartisan commissions. This includes, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service. Many of these agencies no longer have even a single Democratic Member.

Congress designed these boards and commissions to be bipartisan and gave them the authority to regulate some of the most vital and significant parts of American life. But the Trump Administration appears intent on ensuring that it retains complete control over these agencies, with little interest in working in good faith with Congress. In a sharp break from precedent across Republican and Democratic administrations, you have refused in almost every instance to engage with Senate Democratic leadership in the normal process of identifying Democratic nominees to fill vacancies on independent agencies. Instead, the White House appears set on leaving the vast majority of these critical positions open indefinitely. We ask that you immediately reverse this stance, reinstate improperly terminated commissioners and board members, and publicly commit to working with the Minority Leader to fill other Democratic vacancies with qualified Democratic nominees.

Sincerely,