Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
Trump removes all 3 remaining Election Assistance Commission members, leaving the agency unable to act before the midterms
The EAC certifies voting systems, distributes federal election funds and maintains the national voter registration form. Replacements require Senate confirmation and bipartisan balance.
What happened
On July 9, 2026, Trump removed the three remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Democrats Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland were told by email from the deputy director of presidential personnel that their positions were “terminated, effective immediately.” Republican Christy McCormick was allowed to resign.
With no commissioners, the EAC cannot take official action. The fourth seat had been vacant since Republican Donald Palmer left on April 30 for the Heritage Foundation. New members must be nominated and confirmed by the Senate, with no more than two from one party.
A White House official cited the Supreme Court’s late-June decision in Trump v. Slaughter as precedent. The official said the president “reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections.”
Who benefited
The White House removed the only federal body with a statutory role in voting-system standards and election funding, and can now shape any replacement slate. Trump gained a test case for extending Slaughter to bipartisan election agencies.
Who wanted something
Trump ordered the removals through the presidential personnel office, and the White House defended them as a Slaughter prerogative. Palmer’s departure to the Heritage Foundation, which has pushed federal election changes, had already left the commission with three members.
Who lost out
State and local election officials rely on EAC certification, guidance and grant disbursement in a midterm year, and now have no commission to act. Voters lose the one federal agency built to help administer elections rather than police them.
Why it matters
Congress created the EAC after the 2000 election with bipartisan balance, so that no president could control it. Every member was removed or pushed out at once, four months before a federal election. The agency’s news page shows no releases after July 1.
Sources VotebeatU.S. Election Assistance Commission (primary)U.S. Election Assistance Commission (primary)