On February 26, Rep. Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Committee on House Administration, urged President Donald Trump to rescind his February 18 executive order expanding authority over independent agencies. As previously covered by InfoBytes, among other requirements, Executive Order 14215 (“Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies”) required independent regulatory agencies to submit draft regulations to White House for review and approval, limiting agency autonomy. In the letter, Rep. Morelle argued that Congress designed independent agencies to operate outside of White House control and that the order violated constitutional principles requiring separation of powers. The letter argued, for example, that the Federal Election Commission, which reviews complaints related to potential campaign finance violations, requires independence from the president in order to uphold federal laws without political interference. The letter stressed that Article I of the Constitution provides that Congress, not the President, has the authority to establish and assign functions to federal agencies.
