Headline Roundup • February 20th, 2025
Trump Tests the Limits of Executive Power
Summary from the AllSides News Team
As the Trump administration seeks to roll back some aspects of the federal government, it's also moving to increase the White House's power.
Executive Order: President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday granting the president and the executive branch oversight over independent agencies. Independent agencies have congressional authorization to act autonomously from the executive branch, they include the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Key Quotes: The White House said, “This order aims to restore accountability and ensure that all agencies are subject to Presidential oversight, fulfilling Trump's promise to restore constitutional governance.” Free Press (Left bias) Co-CEO Craig Aaron said, “Congress created independent agencies so they would be free from undue interference and influence by any single administration or political party… Donald Trump is trying to dismantle the democratic checks and balances that make our system work, and his only purpose is to seize unchecked power.”
Trump Takeover? On Wednesday, Trump called for a federal takeover of Washington, D.C., saying the local government was “not doing the job” on homelessness and crime. Washington, D.C. has had a degree of self-governance since 1973, but is still largely beholden to the U.S. Congress and is a Democratic stronghold.
Other Comments: After terminating New York City's congestion pricing on Wednesday, Trump posted “LONG LIVE THE KING,” alongside an image of himself wearing a crown. On Saturday, he posted “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” a quote commonly attributed to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Critics say Trump's recent comments are concerning, and his actions exceed his constitutional authority.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
President Donald Trump is branding himself a monarch.
The president of the United States made an unprecedented declaration on Wednesday while applauding his administration’s decision to terminate federal approval of New York’s congestion pricing program.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,” Trump wrote on his social platform Truth Social. “LONG LIVE THE KING!”
For the better part of a century, presidents have sought to quickly flex their new powers upon entering office. President Donald Trump has, critics say, taken this practice to an extreme over the past month.
Saying that he is fulfilling a campaign promise to cut waste and root out fraud in Washington, President Trump and his administration have frozen vast sums of dollars of congressionally appropriated funds. He has, without an official reason, fired at least four Senate-confirmed agency officials as well as 17 independent agency inspectors general. His subordinates have...
President Donald Trump took another step in his mission to assert control over the executive branch by signing an order that curbs the ability of independent agencies to operate outside the bounds of the president’s agenda, a move that could upend decades-old federal law.
Independent agencies that have significant authority, such as the Federal Election Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, or the Securities and Exchange Commission, should not operate independently of the president, Trump said in the order.
“For the Federal Government to be truly accountable to the American people, officials who wield...
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