WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are considering a proposal to hand lawmakers the power to appoint the leaders of key legislative branch agencies after the Trump administration abruptly fired top officials in the Library of Congress and U.S. Copyright Office without congressional approval.
“I think what we’re going to have to do with some of these organizations — like the Library of Congress, (the Government Accountability Office) — is have Congress appoint the head to make it crystal clear that these are congressional entities,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters on Wednesday.
No legislation has been filed on the issue, but the suggestion comes in response to President Donald Trump unilaterally firing Carla Hayden as the librarian of Congress and Shira Perlmutter, head of the copyright office, earlier this month. Although those positions must be approved by the Senate, the president has the authority to nominate, and remove, individuals.
Hayden’s removal took several lawmakers by surprise as she was the first female and first Black American to hold the top library position. The timing of her firing was also considered unusual as her term was set to expire next year.
However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the decision, claiming there were “quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.”
Trump has since named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting librarian of Congress.
Other Republicans have suggested interest in reining in those powers, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., telling reporters last week there should be “consultation” to clarify congressional authority around certain agencies.
“There are equities that both Article One and Article Two branches have when it comes to the Library of Congress, and it might suggest that in future, we may need to delineate those more clearly,” Thune said.
The proposals also come as lawmakers have looked at ways to limit the Department of Government Efficiency’s ability to gain access to certain government entities as part of its efforts to root out waste, fraud and abuse. For example, DOGE officials have sought to gain access to the GAO, which Collins has described as an “organization that serves and responds to Congress.”
“I do not think it’s appropriate for DOGE to be trying to reorganize it or enter it in any way, she said.
It’s not the first time lawmakers have sought more authority over presidential-appointed positions.
For example, Democrats spearheaded efforts to establish congressional oversight for the architect of the Capitol under the Biden administration. Now, Congress should do the same for entities such as the Library of Congress, some lawmakers say.
“Just like we changed the rules with the architect of the Capitol, we should change them here,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who authored the Biden-era bill, said.