Trump, Republicans in Congress Rig the Rules to Reward Wealthy Donors

For Immediate Release: February 19, 2026
Contact: David Rosen, drosen@citizen.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress throughout 2025 repeatedly attacked our system of public protections, striking down rules and lawlessly sabotaging the rulemaking process. A new memo from the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (CSS) documents the vectors of these attacks during the first year of Trump’s second term, which harm the public to reward wealthy donors and corporate interests aligned with MAGA and the GOP.

“The Trump administration is rigging the system for billionaires and corporate donors by attacking regulations that keep people safe and secure – through a mix of executive orders and memoranda, firings of top regulators and agency staff, and policy changes,” the CSS memo reads. “All of these unilateral actions disregard the painful and harmful consequences to the public for no other reason than to provide giveaways to the president’s wealthiest friends and supporters. Importantly, all of these actions undermine the democratic legitimacy, effectiveness, and responsiveness of the federal rulemaking process.”

“People living in the United States expect our government to protect us: to ensure clean water and air, safe food, workplaces, and products, and fair markets. Trump’s deregulatory actions do the exact opposite – they undermine confidence in our government and put people at risk,” said Rachel Weintraub, executive director of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards.

The multi-vectored attacks against our system of regulatory protections by the White House and Congress on behalf of wealthy donors and corporate interests are likely to escalate in the year ahead. CSS and its members will continue to resist and oppose these actions and fight for a robust, responsive, and inclusive federal regulatory system that benefits and protects us all.

The coalition’s policy experts are available to provide additional details and commentary on the various actions documented in the memo. Please reach out to David Rosen at drosen@citizen.org to speak with one of them.

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