Fired NCUA Board Members Spar With Trump Over Removal Powers

Attorneys representing Democratic board members at a federal credit union regulator squared off with the Trump administration over whether the agency’s governing statute allowed the president to fire them without cause.

Judge Amir H. Ali of the US District Court for the District of Columbia at a hearing Thursday repeatedly asked attorneys for both sides whether Congress’ decision to omit specific for-cause removal protections for National Credit Union Administration board members in a 1978 amendment meant the members were at-will employees of the president.

The legislative history shows Congress intended to provide for-cause removal protections, said Vincent Levy, a Holwell ...