Kaine Statement on Supreme Court Destroying Agency Independence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a former civil rights attorney, released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Slaughter , which will allow Trump to fire independent agency heads at will: “Today, the Supreme Court set a precedent that will have grave consequences for America’s dedicated civil servants, as well as our economy, health, and safety. For more than a century, heads of independent agencies that Congress created to do the nuts-and-bolt work of monitoring and regulating health, safety, and critical parts of the economy could not be fired by the President for political reasons. But now, the Supreme Court sides with the Trump-Vance Administration’s war on that crucial independence and destroyed that precedent. That means if President Trump sees that an agency is standing in the way of his corrupt self-dealing or lawlessness, he can simply fire its leadership and either replace them with political hacks or leave the agency decapitated. When the hardworking, patriotic Americans who do the day-to-day work of monitoring financial markets, overseeing nuclear energy, protecting consumers from deceptive practices, or keeping unsafe products off of shelves can be sacked at Trump’s whim, every American loses.” ###