White House Claims Authority to Direct FTC, SEC, and FCC Despite Humphrey's Executor

The Trump White House formally asserted presidential authority to issue binding directives to the FTC, SEC, and FCC — independent regulatory agencies historically shielded from direct executive control. The claim directly challenged Humphrey's Executor v. United States (1935), the Supreme Court precedent protecting commissioners from at-will removal, escalating a constitutional showdown over the separation of powers.