Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump fires NLRB officials, paralyzing agency — Donald Trump fired National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and chair Gwynne Wilcox, effectively paralyzing the agency. The firings leave the NLRB with only two members, short of the quorum needed to issue significant decisions on labor disputes. The dismissals have been criticized as an attack on the rule of law and a threat to the independence of regulatory agencies. Wilcox, the first Black woman on the board, plans to challenge her firing in court, which could invalidate future board decisions if her termination is overturned.
• Trump administration fires federal watchdogs — Since January 24, 2025, President Trump has fired a dozen independent federal government watchdogs, including Gwynne Wilcox, a senior official at the National Labor Relations Board. Wilcox described her dismissal as "unprecedented and illegal." These firings are part of Trump's broader agenda to reshape the federal government by reducing its workforce and cutting spending. The removal of these watchdogs has raised concerns about the administration's commitment to oversight and accountability.

Supporting reports

• Trump DOJ fires prosecutors involved in investigations against him — The Department of Justice, under Acting Attorney General McHenry, terminated several career prosecutors who were involved in investigations of former President Trump. This action is framed as part of an effort to end the "weaponization of government" and aligns with Trump's agenda. The firings raise concerns about the independence of the DOJ and its role in upholding the rule of law.
• Trump administration fires DOJ lawyers in criminal cases — The Trump administration fired more than a dozen DOJ lawyers involved in two criminal cases against the president. This action raises concerns about the independence of the Justice Department and potential interference in legal proceedings.
• Trump justice department fires officials linked to Jack Smith — On January 27, 2025, Acting Attorney General James McHenry fired over a dozen federal prosecutors who had worked on criminal cases against Donald Trump. These prosecutors were part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's team, which had charged Trump in two cases related to mishandling classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. The firings were justified by McHenry as necessary because the prosecutors could not be trusted to implement the president's agenda. This move is part of broader personnel changes within the Justice Department under the Trump administration.
• Trump fires federal prosecutors involved in his prosecutions — On January 27, Trump’s acting attorney general fired more than a dozen federal prosecutors who were involved in the criminal prosecutions against Trump. The official stated that the acting attorney general “does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda.”
• White House directed firing of special counsel prosecutors — The Justice Department, following instructions from the White House, fired more than a dozen federal prosecutors involved in criminal prosecutions against Donald Trump. The firings were directed by the acting Attorney General, James McHenry, and were linked to a memo from the White House personnel office. This action has raised concerns about the independence of the Justice Department and its potential use as an extension of the White House. The prosecutors were dismissed due to their roles in prosecuting Trump, which was seen as incompatible with the president's agenda.

Supporting reports

• Trump fires 17 Inspectors General without notice — Former President Donald Trump fired 17 non-partisan, independent Inspectors General at various government agencies without providing the required 30-day notice to Congress. This action violates federal law and has been criticized as a move to eliminate oversight and accountability within the government. The firings have raised concerns about potential corruption and abuse of power in the Trump administration.
• Trump fires multiple inspectors general — President Trump informed at least 15 inspectors general across various federal departments that they were fired, including those from Defense, State, and Health and Human Services. This action follows a recent law requiring presidents to provide written reasons for such removals, raising legal concerns about the firings.
• Trump fired federal inspectors general — Donald Trump dismissed more than a dozen independent federal government watchdogs, including inspectors general at the departments of state, defense, and transportation. This action was taken without providing the required 30 days' notice or reasons to Congress, which is a violation of federal law. The dismissals are seen as an attempt to replace these officials with loyalists, raising concerns about oversight and accountability in the government.
• Trump administration fires federal watchdogs — Since January 24, 2025, President Trump has fired a dozen independent federal government watchdogs, including Gwynne Wilcox, a senior official at the National Labor Relations Board. Wilcox described her dismissal as "unprecedented and illegal." These firings are part of Trump's broader agenda to reshape the federal government by reducing its workforce and cutting spending. The removal of these watchdogs has raised concerns about the administration's commitment to oversight and accountability.
• Trump fires Inspectors General without notice — Senator Chuck Grassley reported that President Trump fired 18 Inspectors General without providing the required 30-day notice to Congress. This action violates legal norms and raises concerns about oversight and accountability within the federal government.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration sued over Schedule F executive order — The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration following the reinstatement of Schedule F, an executive order that reclassifies thousands of federal workers as political hires, making them easier to fire. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief, arguing that the order deprives federal workers of due process rights and wrongly applies political appointee rules to career staff. The executive order has been criticized by various labor unions as an attack on federal employees and a return to a political spoils system.

Supporting reports

• White House issued National Security Presidential Memorandum reorganizing NSC structure and governance — The White House issued National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-1 on January 20, 2025, reorganizing the National Security Council and its subordinate committees. The memorandum establishes a unified NSC staff serving both national security and homeland security functions, designates new NSC members (including the Attorney General, Secretary of Interior, White House Chief of Staff, and National Security Advisor), clarifies the roles of the National Security Advisor and Homeland Security Advisor, and restructures the Principals Committee and Deputies Committee with new decision-making and dispute-resolution procedures. The memorandum supersedes all prior NSC organizational directives, including National Security Memorandum–2 of February 4, 2021.
• Trump designates acting cabinet and cabinet-level officials — President Trump issued a presidential action designating 31 individuals to serve as acting heads of cabinet departments and cabinet-level agencies, effective immediately, pending Senate confirmation of permanent appointees. The designations invoke 5 U.S.C. § 3345 et seq. (the Federal Vacancies Reform Act). Acting positions include Secretary of State (Lisa Kenna), Attorney General (James McHenry), Secretary of Defense (Robert Salesses), and heads of EPA, CIA, FBI, and other major agencies.
• Trump designates chairmen and acting chairmen across federal agencies — President Trump issued a presidential action on January 20, 2025, designating chairmen and acting chairmen for 15 federal agencies and commissions, including the FCC (Brendan Carr), FERC (Mark Christie), FTC (Andrew Ferguson), NLRB (Marvin Kaplan), NRC (David Wright), SEC (Mark Uyeda, acting), EEOC (Andrea Lucas, acting), FDIC (Travis Hill, acting), NCUA (Kyle Hauptman), USCCR (Peter Kirsanow), Farm Credit Administration (Jeffrey Hall), Surface Transportation Board (Patrick Fuchs), and Federal Maritime Commission (Louis Sola).
• Trump sends cabinet and cabinet-level nominations to Senate — President Trump sent nominations to the Senate for 23 cabinet and cabinet-level positions on January 20, 2025. The nominations include Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary, Pamela Bondi for Attorney General, Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, Peter Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, and 18 other positions spanning domestic and international agencies. The Senate must confirm each nominee.
• White House announces sub-cabinet nominations to Senate — The White House issued a formal nominations announcement to the Senate on January 20, 2025, naming 47 individuals for sub-cabinet positions across federal agencies. The list includes nominees for Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, agency heads, and other senior executive roles, replacing officials who resigned or whose terms expired. Positions span Defense, Treasury, State, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Justice, Veterans Affairs, and other departments.
• White House transmits 13 nominations to Senate for sub-cabinet positions — The White House transmitted 13 nominations to the Senate on January 22, 2025, for deputy secretaries, under secretaries, and other sub-cabinet roles across multiple agencies including Agriculture, Transportation, Energy, EPA, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Interior, Education, SBA, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The nominees are identified by name, home state, and the position sought, with most replacing officials who resigned.