How do you feel about President Trump’s new executive order regarding White House control of independent federal agencies?

👍 Support (18%) – "There is too much waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. The Executive Branch is working on behalf of the American people to have more transparency into the agencies, ensure that there is an America First agenda, and to root out bad actors who are working against what the people overwhelmingly voted for in 2024."

• "I truly believe there's been a history of smoke and mirrors so any push for transparency and alignment within the government and the independent agencies that control things like security and telecommunications in today's world is a positive thing. Do these agencies always have to report into OMB moving forward? No. But getting a strong pulse check on whether these agencies are truly nonpartisan, independent, and supporting the will of the people who elected POTUS is critical - especially the FCC in the wake of all the things we're finding with USAID and international communications. I feel like there's a lot going on that we don't know about and the President has a right to be aware of those things."

"The Executive branch is responsible for executing the laws that the Legislative branch writes. The Legislative branch has oversight responsibilities, of course, but not execution responsibilities. So someone needs to be responsible for how these federal agencies execute their functions. That power should reside in the Executive."

👎 Oppose (76%) – "The office of President of the United States has over the past several years, taken more and more power away from the legislative and judicial branches as well from other government agencies. By taking greater control upon himself through of these independent agencies, President Trump is drawing our government even closer to a monarchy or dictatorship."

• "I don't trust him or Musk. This is not being run like a democracy. I thought Republicans were for less government control but here we are with them controlling more with no checks and balances. This is very disturbing."

"Trump's actions are opening up tremendous avenues for conflicts of interest and corruption. Musk, for instance, now has outsized influence on agencies that regulate his companies. Trump himself is setting himself up to rule like an authoritarian monarch, with no effective checks and balances."

• "The agencies are independent for a reason - they are supposed to be bi-partisan and looking at the issues without a political agenda or pressure from one party or the other."

"Checks and balances are a cornerstone of US democracy. Independent agencies were formed to be free of control or influence by any of the 3 branches of government, and must stay as such to protect citizens from motivations that would counter that."

• "I feel that we are living in a dystopian society. One where the checks and balances that I learned in high school civics class no longer apply. One where Congress is fearful to exert its legislative powers because of threats both implied and stated by the executive branch. One where I could be targeted for even expressing opinions contrary to the presidency or his minions. One where my furure social security benefits could be minimized or denied because of "fraud" discovered or manufactured. And now independent agencies are also being declawed now. These are dark times that I didn't think would happen to a democracy."

🤷 Unsure/other (6%) – "I oppose any unilateral control by a single branch of the government but agree that some of these independent agencies have exceeded their bounds and have gone unchecked for too long. I think a division in authority over spending and regulatory responsibility between the executive and legislative branches would curb quite a bit of this and limit the partisan nonsense that swings things back and forth."