Statement of Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 29, 2026 – Today, the Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. Slaughter gave Donald Trump the power to legally fire commissioners of independent government agencies, without cause. Previously, heads of these agencies could only be fired for serious cause, such as misconduct.
“The decision in Trump v. Slaughter upends 90 years of Supreme Court precedent, weakening the status of agencies designated as independent federal agencies, and giving the President more power to fire the leadership of these agencies for any reason. The decision effectively prioritizes the political preferences of the President over ensuring that independent agencies can carry out their enforcement and regulatory functions consistent with the law and operate with integrity.
“Actions taken by the Administration to remove commissioners without cause at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency tasked with enforcing civil rights in the workplace, has given us a preview of how the political capture of a once-independent agency can compromise its work and harm the very people it is supposed to serve. EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas has pursued the President’s political agenda, regardless of the Commission’s enforcement obligations, dropping active lawsuits because she doesn’t agree with the law, such as anti-discrimination protections for transgender workers, and promoting claims that fit Trump’s false narrative that white men are the primary targets of discrimination, notwithstanding years of data showing the bulk of charges filed by women and people of color. The Court’s ruling will further embolden the EEOC to reject its mission in favor of the Administration’s anti-worker and anti-civil rights politics.
“The National Partnership will continue to fight for robust enforcement of civil rights laws and policies to ensure that our federal government fulfills its obligations to all people and not just a preferred few.”
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