President Donald Trump recently disabled two federal regulatory commissions by removing Democratic members. He fired Gwynne Wilcox from the U.S. National Labor Relations Board and Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrows from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This move has left the agencies without a quorum to conduct business effectively, leading to potential legal challenges.
Wilcox called her firing illegal and vowed to pursue legal action. The NLRB is now unable to issue decisions due to lack of a quorum. Trump also fired the agency’s general counsel, Karla Gilbride. The EEOC commissioners were fired over their views on sex discrimination and diversity initiatives, which Trump opposes. The agency enforces workplace discrimination laws and was left without the required quorum to make significant decisions.
The firings are seen as an attempt to dismantle the radical policies put in place by the previous administration. Samuels and Burrows, who were appointed by Biden, approved legal guidance protecting transgender workers, pregnant employees, and contraception use rights. Trump’s actions could hinder the agencies’ ability to protect employees from discrimination and uphold federal employment laws.
It is unclear whether Trump plans to nominate successors for the vacancies left by the fired commissioners. The moves have sparked concerns about the agencies’ ability to fulfill their mandates and protect workers’ rights. The commissioners are considering their legal options and the impact of the firings on ongoing discrimination cases.
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