Trump Fires 2 EEOC Democratic Commissioners In Rare Move (2 )

President Donald Trump fired two Democratic Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members in an unmatched relocation that damages the Democrats’ voting bulk on the board, employment the pair confirmed in statements Tuesday.

Trump’s shooting of EEOC Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrows leaves two seats on the five-member civil liberties panel to be filled by elections from the new administration.

The president also axed the commission’s general counsel, Karla Gilbride, who validated her termination in a declaration posted to LinkedIn on Tuesday night.

The firings of Samuels and Burrows bypass historical precedent of leaving commissioners in place at the independent agency. Their ouster clears a course for the Trump administration to advance its second-term civil rights law agenda, which has up until now targeted variety, equity, employment and inclusion programs and gender identity protections through executive orders.

Due to staggered terms, the Democrats would have maintained a bulk on the five-member EEOC up until 2026, employment when Samuels’ term was set to end. Without the Democrats’ voting bloc in place, just recently called acting chair, Republican Andrea Lucas, employment and future Trump appointees can guide the company’s policy and lawsuits agenda.

Burrows, employment the previous chair of the EEOC, Samuels, and Gilbride got word of their shootings from the White House late Monday.

“I take pride in the work my associates and I have done to help eliminate barriers for level playing field for all workers and to promote reasonable and nondiscriminatory work environments. While I strongly disagree with the President’s actions, and will check out all legal options available to me, I will continue to do all I can to fight for the rights of American workers and to support the efforts of others who do the exact same,” Burrows said her declaration, in which she also stated she’s working with attorneys from Katz Banks Kumin LLP.

Trump likewise ended 2 other key officials from another independent labor-focused firm, the National Labor Relations Board. He fired Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox and Biden-era General Counsel Jennifer on Monday.

The firings come after Republican-led states have actually mentioned defenses commissioners at the EEOC have actually from being gotten rid of as unconstitutional in separate suits challenging the firm’s work environment anti-harassment guidance and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rules.

The EEOC is among a number of federal firms facing claims from challengers that argue its management is unconstitutionally secured from being fired at will by the president.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to act as an EEOC Commissioner, and I deeply regret this Administration’s short-sighted and unprecedented choice to eliminate me from a position to which I stay committed. I am considering my legal options and will continue to advocate strenuously for the civil rights of all employees,” Samuels said in a declaration.

Gilbride’s firing has more precedent in the commission’s history. Former President Joe Biden fired Trump-appointed EEOC Chair Sharon Gustafson in 2021 after she refused to step down.

Gilbride stated in her posted statement she is proud of the results the EEOC attains for workers, and is “discouraged by the current executive orders that appear planned to distract federal firms from their day-to-day work of serving the general public and rather require them to concentrate on settling ratings with, and erasing traces of, the previous administration.”

Only Lucas, who Trump named as acting chair Jan. 20, along with Democratic Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal remain on the civil rights panel. There is also a vacancy open from a seat left by Keith Sonderling, who Trump just recently named deputy labor secretary.