In a brazen and unconstitutional move, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday unilaterally targeting for elimination seven federal agencies that were established by law, including the Voice of America’s parent agency, labor mediation services, and programs dedicated to preventing homelessness.
This latest action is part of Trump’s ongoing campaign to dismantle the federal government, aided by his controversial adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, and the shadowy Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Critics are calling the move an illegal power grab that undermines the rule of law and threatens essential services for millions of Americans.
The targeted agencies include the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund).
These agencies, established by acts of Congress, play critical roles in labor relations, cultural preservation, homelessness prevention, and economic development. Trump’s order seeks to bypass America’s legislative branch of government entirely, raising serious legal and ethical questions.
“The president’s job is to faithfully execute the laws, not decide which ones he wants to enforce and which to do away with at the stroke of a pen,” said Lisa McCormick, the courageous progressive activist who challenged disgraced former Senator Bob Menendez in the 2018 Democratic primary. “The White House cannot eliminate federal agencies that are created by law. Only Congress has the power to change the law. This is tyranny, plain and simple.”
McCormick is calling on Congress to institute impeachment proceedings seeking Trump’s removal from office in accordance with the Constitution of the United States.
Trump’s efforts to overhaul the federal bureaucracy are being spearheaded by Elon Musk’s DOGE, a controversial unit operating outside the bounds of traditional government oversight.
DOGE has already been implicated in thousands of job cuts and program cancellations, many of which have been reversed by federal courts for violating the law. Musk, who has no formal government role, has been granted unprecedented access to sensitive government systems, including Treasury payment systems and classified databases, raising alarms about conflicts of interest and potential misuse of power.
“Before our very eyes, an unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who McCormick criticized for enabling Trump’s tyranny by approving a stopgap spending measure that authorizes some of these illegal actions.
Musk, the world’s richest man and a top donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign, has framed DOGE’s work in ideological terms, disparaging the “tyranny of the bureaucracy” and calling for the “wholesale removal of regulations.”
However, his involvement has drawn sharp criticism from ethics experts, who point out that his vast business empire—spanning SpaceX, Tesla, and other ventures—creates unavoidable conflicts of interest.
“He may not participate in any United States government matter that has a direct and predictable effect on his financial holdings,” said former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter, who was appointed by President George W. Bush. “If he does, he commits a crime.”
DOGE’s unlawful activities have already sparked multiple lawsuits.
The Alliance for Retired Americans and federal employee unions have filed suit to block DOGE’s access to Treasury payment systems, arguing that allowing Musk’s team to handle sensitive data like tax refunds and veterans’ benefits is a gross violation of privacy.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who previously presided over one of Trump’s criminal cases, has granted expedited discovery in a lawsuit brought by Democratic-led states challenging DOGE’s authority.
Meanwhile, federal judges across the country have delivered stinging rebukes to Trump’s administration for its lawless purge of federal workers and its handling of January 6 defendants. In Maryland, U.S. District Judge James Bredar ordered the immediate reinstatement of thousands of probationary federal employees fired by the administration, ruling that the terminations violated federal law.
The chaos extends to USAID, which Musk reportedly shut down without congressional approval. During a recent cabinet meeting, Musk clashed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the move, further highlighting the billionaire’s outsized influence in the Trump administration.
“In terms of rule of law, we are losing it rapidly,” said Eric Rubin, a retired ambassador with nearly 40 years of service. “Musk and DOGE are intentionally creating hundreds of potential court cases that could take months or years to resolve. But who knows what kind of damage they can inflict before that happens.”
As DOGE continues its unchecked rampage through the federal government, the stakes could not be higher. With access to sensitive systems like Social Security and Treasury payments, the potential for abuse is staggering.
“This is wrong. It’s illegal,” said Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics lawyer representing plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits. “You can’t have my data. You can’t have my spouse’s data. You can’t have my kid’s data. That information is too precious.”
“Trump’s executive order is not just an attack on specific agencies—it’s an assault on the very foundations of American democracy,” said McCormick, one of New Jersey’s leading progressive Democrats. “By bypassing Congress and empowering an unelected billionaire to dismantle the federal government, Trump is setting a dangerous precedent that could have far-reaching consequences for the rule of law and the rights of all Americans.”
“The question now is whether the courts, Congress, and the American people will stand up to this unprecedented power grab before it’s too late,” said McCormick.