The dismissals target two independent agencies that oversee swaths of U.S. workers, employers and labor unions.

President Trump continued to make waves just over a week into his presidency with his decision earlier this week to fire the chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Gwynne Wilcox. This unprecedented decision came alongside Trump’s firing of NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo.

Some agency employees who President Donald Trump terminated from their leadership roles Monday night are now “considering legal options.”

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members Charlotte A. Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels, both Democrats, said they were fired by President Donald Trump late Monday.

The unprecedented moves leave the agencies unable to conduct even routine business and are likely to spur legal challenges.

Following on the heels of the January 27, 2025 dismissal of National Labor Relations Board Member Gwynne Wilcox and NLRB General Counsel

All employees have a right to engage in concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)—often called “protected concerted

Project 2025 threatens federal job security, shifting civil service roles to at-will employment. Explore its impact on workers, businesses, private sector and democracy.

Given some rulings by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in recent years – such as rulings invalidating civility policies or finding employers liable for disciplining employees acting in a harassing manner – many employers have struggled with how to balance National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) considerations with competing equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws.

Both commissioners, who worked for the EEOC, said they are exploring options to challenge their dismissals, calling their removal before the end of their current terms unprecedented.

Federal labor law explicitly limits removal of board members to instances of neglect or malfeasance. The termination is among several early moves Trump has made that push at the boundaries of executive authority.

President Donald Trump has moved to fire Democratic members of two independent federal commissions, an extraordinary break from decades of legal precedent that promises to hand Republicans control