Independent Agency Rules — Week of May 26, 2025

This week, President Trump signed executive orders that direct major changes to how independent federal agencies operate—particularly the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and agencies that rely on scientific analysis. The order titled Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission tells the NRC to consider economic and national security benefits of nuclear power alongside safety—not just safety alone, which is what Congress originally tasked it to prioritize. It also orders cuts to safety review staff and sets strict deadlines for approving new reactor licenses. A separate order, Restoring Gold Standard Science, gives the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy authority to set scientific integrity standards that all agencies must follow, and bans consideration of diversity, equity, and inclusion in government science.

This might matter because agencies like the NRC were set up by Congress to make decisions based on technical expertise and safety science, independent of presidential policy goals. When executive orders redefine what an agency is supposed to prioritize or dictate what scientific models it can use, this could affect the independence that protects the public from regulatory decisions driven by politics rather than evidence.

There are reasonable alternative explanations. Most significantly, the NRC has licensed very few new reactors in decades, and presidents have legitimate authority to set energy policy direction—some of these reforms may genuinely address regulatory bottlenecks without compromising safety. Additionally, scientific integrity is a real concern: reproducibility problems in federally funded research are well-documented, and centralizing standards could improve quality and reduce inconsistencies across agencies. The administration's prohibition on DEI considerations in science could also be viewed as an effort to focus government research strictly on scientific merit and objectivity. However, the specificity of these orders—dictating which radiation models to use, mandating staff reductions in safety review, and prohibiting certain analytical frameworks—goes beyond setting broad priorities and into territory that could constrain the independent expert judgment these agencies were designed to exercise.

A companion order, Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base, further directs NRC licensing coordination and halts an existing plutonium disposal program. Separately, the swearing-in of Jeanine Pirro as Acting U.S. Attorney for D.C. drew attention for the President's emphasis on her personal loyalty, though she has genuine prosecutorial experience.

Limitations: This is AI-generated analysis based on a small number of documents (11), and the high share of executive actions this week may simply reflect the small sample—a single document can shift percentages dramatically. This analysis does not account for legal challenges, congressional responses, or how agencies will implement these orders in practice.