So "independent" agency really does mean the president can't use the agency to extort companies into punishing his "enemies"? Good to know... now how do we enforce that distinction?
Republicans will fight for it - when a Democrat is in office. Note that I'm not declaring that Democrats are definitely better, but more that Republicans aren't thinking the statement below through. Congressional Republicans are okay abdicating their authority and responsibility now, under Trump, but probably not so much when they're no longer in power, especially if (when) they lose the House and Senate in 2026 and the White House in 2028.
The extraordinary statement speaks to a broader trend of regulatory agencies losing power to the executive branch during the Trump era.
Republicans aren't thinking ahead and may just have to suffer through learning what things like the following mean: "reap what you've sown", "good for the goose, good for the gander", "what goes around, comes around", etc...