President Trump on Thursday dismissed the last remaining members of a federal board that supports election officials across the country, a move that came after a major Supreme Court decision expanded his authority to remove officials from independent agencies.
Thomas Hicks and Christy McCormick, both named to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) by former President Barack Obama, were notified of their firings by email, Reuters reported. Benjamin Hovland, whom Trump appointed during his first term, was compelled to step down. The agency’s fourth commissioner, also a Trump appointee, left in April.
The departures effectively leave the bipartisan EAC without any commissioners, casting doubt on the agency’s path forward. It remains unknown whether Trump intends to nominate replacements.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” said the emails issued by the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
The removals came in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling that overturned prior limits preventing presidents from firing officials at independent federal agencies without cause.
In the 6-3 decision, the justices concluded that Trump acted within his authority when he removed former Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter last year. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that “neither Congress nor the courts may saddle [the president] with those with whom he cannot work” and that “subordinates who exercise the President’s power are subject to removal by him.”
Trump celebrated the decision on social media, calling it “the Greatest Increase in Presidential Power in the last 100 years” and adding, “Such a Monumental Ruling at such an important time!”
The EAC describes itself on its website as a “national clearinghouse of information on election administration.” Its responsibilities include accrediting voting system testing laboratories, certifying voting systems and maintaining the national mail voter registration form created under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Trump, who regularly claims the 2020 election was rigged, has pushed for mail-in voting restrictions, national voter-ID laws and has even floated federalizing elections during his second term.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) argued Trump’s removal of the remaining EAC members should “concern” Americans.
“Reports that the White House has dismissed the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission — all of whom were unanimously confirmed by the Senate, including a commissioner appointed by President Trump himself — should concern every American, regardless of party, because the EAC was established by Congress as an independent, bipartisan body to help states administer secure and credible elections,” Warner wrote on X.
“If these reports are accurate, removing every remaining commissioner just months before the 2026 midterm elections is an extraordinary step that demands an immediate explanation from the administration and raises profound concerns about political interference in the institutions that support our elections,” he added.
A White House official confirmed the firings and told Reuters that Trump “reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted.”
The official said the Trump administration has been “working across all agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from fraud and abuse, and investing in a strong infrastructure to sustain that mission especially in the midterm elections.”
With Post wires
