[House Document 119-57]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




119th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 119-57

 
 REPLACEMENT OF ACTING INSPECTOR GENERAL AT THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 A NOTIFICATION OF THE INTENTION TO DESIGNATE DUANE TOWNSEND AS ACTING 
 INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, PURSUANT TO 5 U.S.C. 
    403(b); ADDED BY PUBLIC LAW 117-286, SEC. 3(b); (136 STAT. 4209)




    June 5, 2025.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and ordered to be printed
 
 
                          ______

             U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
 59-011          WASHINGTON : 2025
 
 
 
 
To the Congress of the United States:
    I am hereby notifying the Congress that I intend to 
designate Duane Townsend (currently Special Agent in Charge, 
Department of Commerce, Office of the Inspector General) as 
Acting Inspector General of the Department of Commerce, in 
place of the current Acting Inspector General, Roderick 
Anderson. Such designation will be effective no less than 30 
days from delivery of this message.
    The Constitution vests ``the executive Power'' in the 
President, who has a duty to ``take Care that the Laws be 
faithfully executed.'' U.S. Const., Art. II, Sec. 1, cl. 1; id. 
at Sec. 3. In exercising that power and duty, I have determined 
that, based on the qualities outlined in 5 U.S.C. 403(a) and 
the confidence I must place in my appointees, Mr. Townsend is 
the best available person to serve as Acting Inspector General 
of the Department of Commerce at this time. In my judgment, Mr. 
Anderson can better serve the Nation performing other duties 
(i.e., returning to his position as Deputy Inspector General of 
the Department of Commerce).
    I am providing this notification as a courtesy, a show of 
comity and respect between the executive and legislative 
branches. It should not be interpreted as a concession that the 
Congress can limit my power to remove any officer. ``Because no 
single person could fulfill [the President's] 
responsibilit[ies] alone, the Framers expected that the 
President would rely on subordinate officers for assistance.'' 
Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 591 U.S. 
197, 203-204 (2020). And the Constitution gives the President 
``the authority to remove those who assist him in carrying out 
his duties.'' Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting 
Oversight Board, 561 U.S. 477, 513-514 (2010). ``Without such 
power, the President could not be held fully accountable for 
discharging his own responsibilities; the buck would stop 
somewhere else.'' Id. at 514.
    Ultimately, I have determined that the changed priorities 
of my Administration (as compared to the previous one) will be 
better reflected with new leadership in this Office. Therefore, 
I am apprising you of my intention to designate Mr. Townsend as 
Acting Inspector General of the Department of Commerce, 
effective no less than 30 days from delivery of this message.


                                                   Donald J. Trump.
    The White House, June 4, 2025.