President Donald Trump may have reduced the powers of independent agencies, but it's unclear if he'll succeed in gaining more control over the Federal Reserve.
Since starting his second term in January, Trump has sought to remove guardrails put in place decades ago to insulate some government agencies from political interference.
That includes the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates consumer protection; the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees TV broadcasting; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which monitors workplace discrimination; and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a consumer watchdog.
In some cases, Trump has attempted to fire board members whose terms had not yet expired or appointed new heads who are opposed to the traditional mission of the agency. In other cases, he's sought to influence more control over agencies through unusual political coordination or executive orders asserting broad new powers.
For now, he's generally succeeded in these moves — although legal questions remain — but he faces a tougher slog against the Federal Reserve, which the Supreme Court has singled out as worthy of special protection and some of his Republican allies would like to see retain its independence.
Read Akayla Gardner's full analysis here.
