Election watchdog loses its enforcement powers as Trump seeks to exert more control over its decisions
CNN
The agency charged with policing federal campaign finance laws is losing its enforcement and policy-making powers with the resignation of a Republican commissioner.
The agency charged with policing federal campaign finance laws is losing its enforcement and policy-making powers with the resignation of a Republican commissioner. Allen Dickerson’s departure Wednesday — combined with President Donald Trump’s February firing of long-serving Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub — leaves the Federal Election Commission with just three members and lacking a quorum. The six-member commission needs at least four members to pursue high-level business. Another commissioner, Republican Sean Cooksey, resigned in January. Dickerson announced his resignation during an open meeting of the panel Wednesday. His four-year term expires this week. But previously some FEC commissioners, including Weintraub, had remained with the agency well after the expiration of their terms. The FEC is the latest federal agency to lose its policymaking powers in recent months as Trump seeks more control over independent arms of the government. The president’s firings this year, for instance, have stripped the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board of the numbers required for a quorum as he moves to remake the federal workforce and eliminate practices that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion. The White House did not immediately respond to a CNN inquiry about Trump’s timeline for nominating replacements to the FEC, which operates with three commissioners from each party. The posts require Senate confirmation.
Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro entered a plea of not guilty in his first court appearance in New York as President Donald Trump threatens other countries with US action. Follow here for the latest.
Federal Emergency Management Agency leaders were told to prepare for a possible gutting of their workforce — by as much as half — in the coming months, according to an internal email sent to top FEMA officials last month.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to speak on his political future today as he faces criticism over fraud allegations against day care centers.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to abandon his bid for a third term has suddenly sparked one of the biggest political questions of the new year: Will Sen. Amy Klobuchar run for governor?
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will hold a news conference after announcing he won’t seek a third term. Follow here for live updates.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon is taking administrative action to punish Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, by cutting his retirement pay for participating in a video where he and other Democratic lawmakers reminded US service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is reconsidering whether to seek reelection to a third term and is expected to announce his decision at a Monday news conference, two senior Democrats told CNN, as criticism over a welfare-fraud scandal in his state intensifies.
One person is in custody and an investigation is under way following an incident at the Ohio residence of Vice President JD Vance, according to a federal law enforcement source.