Trump boasted about the U.S. Supreme Court decision Trump v. Slaughter gave him more power than any other President. That decision removes protection from members of independent commissions. With the exception of the Federal Reserve Board (which regulates the banking system and whose stability is crucial to the economy), Trump now has the power to fire any member of any independent commission without cause. He can stack those commissions with his cronies, with people who have no expertise but will do whatever he wants.
What’s the point of having “independent” commissions if they are not independent of political influence?
Thom Hartmann wrote that the Court majority just rolled back the Pendleton Act of 1883, which created the Civil Service:
The six unscrupulous Republicans on the Supreme Court — over the loud objections of the three true constitutionalists on the Court — are aggressively dragging America back not just to the 1950s but, as of yesterday, to the 1830s.
Arguably the most depraved president in American history, Andrew Jackson (aka “The Indian Killer” a title he gave himself), Trump’s favorite, whose picture he hung in the Oval Office, invented what came to be called the “Spoils System.”
If you wanted a job in the federal government, or a favorable ruling from one of the then-few federal agencies, all you had to do was give a big enough gift to President Jackson, or pledge your loyalty to him instead of the Constitution and the people, and your wish would be granted…
The Federal Reserve protects the nations’ banking system and thus ensures stability and prosperity for America’s billionaires and the companies that made them that way. By blowing up Trump’s attempt to remove the Fed’s one Black governor (presumably as part of his and Hegseth’s Make America White Again campaign), the Republicans on the Court defended America’s oligarchs.
The other federal agencies, like the FTC, mostly protect you and me. They oversee our environment, consumer product safety, the purity of our food and drugs, and so on. If anything, America’s oligarchs consider them a pain in the ass.
If Democrats win the Presidency and control of both houses of Congress in 2028, they can write new laws reviving limits on Presidential power, protecting merit-based appointments, and strengthening the federal civil service.
Until that happens, Trump can fire any member of the Federal Trade Commission,

Maybe Charles Guiteau should assassinate the president again. That precipitated civil service reform in 1882.
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Careful, Roy.
MAGA is watching.
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I probably should not make a specific reference to an historical event. Guiteau’s deed was carried out on a man whom some have judged as the smartest man ever elected. James A Garfield was so indispensable on the Civil War battlefield that his absence was cited as a reason the Union army lost the Battle of Chickamauga Creek.
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CONGRESS HAS THE POWER!!! —
The Appointments Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause of our Constitution gives Congress both the authority to create federal agencies for the Executive Branch and to ELIMINATE those Executive Branch agencies.
Congress has the constitutional authority to totally eliminate the Department of Justice whenever Congress wants to.
Congress has the constitutional authority to totally eliminate ALL of the Executive Branch agencies whenever Congress wants to.
When will Congress grow a backbone? Our Founding Fathers wrote our Constitution based on their belief that members of Congress would have the moral strength to defend the Constitution and We the People.
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Lots of perks and great pay for serving in Congress. Especially when it comes to the lucrative insider trading.
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Having created the imperial presidency, the Extreme Court will have to deal with the consequences when a Democrat wins the office.
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For those of you who have HBO-Max, I recommend the short series “Life, Larry & the Pursuit of Unhappiness: an Almost History of America.” It’s 7 episodes (the 3rd airs tonight) &, thus far, there was an excellent skit around Rosa Parks in the first &, in the 2nd, Rob Reiner (o.b.m.) plays George Washington in a clever skit (Jimmy Kimmel appears as a character). It’s quite a barbed bit of history; I’m looking forward to seeing Susie Essman as Susan B. Anthony (for those fans of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” {unbelievably, 25 years old!}, you know what I’m talking about!).
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Excellent suggestion.
I recommend a documentary titled “American Symphony,” about the gifted musician Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad. They are a remarkable couple. He wins multiple Grammy awards, and she writes best-selling books and wins an Emmy for her journalism. She has acute leukemia and periodically goes into the hospital for bone marrow transplants. It is an engrossing story.
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