The three Democrats removed from the commission said they were targeted for voting to stop imports of poorly made lithium-ion batteries and objecting to staffing cuts.
President Trump has moved to fire three of the five members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which monitors the safety of products like toys, cribs and electronics, a White House official and the three members confirmed on Friday.
It is the latest of the administration’s efforts to purge perceived dissenters from independent agencies that is likely to end up in court. In statements, the three commissioners, all Democrats, asserted their removals were illegal. One had yet to receive formal notice on Friday, but said he was barred from performing his duties.
The members, Mary T. Boyle, Richard L. Trumka Jr. and Alexander Hoehn-Saric, said in separate statements released Friday that they were targeted for votes they cast to stop the import of poorly made lithium-ion batteries and objecting to staffing cuts.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, defended their dismissals by asserting on Friday that Mr. Trump had not overstepped his authority because the congressionally created commission operates within the executive branch.
“Who’s the head of the executive branch? The president of the United States,” she said. “He has the right to fire people within the executive branch. Pretty simple answer.”
In a statement titled “See you in court,” Mr. Trumka said he received word on Thursday night that he was dismissed, days after he had voted to advance a solution to the deadly lithium-ion battery issue and hours after he opposed two staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency, the initiative run by Elon Musk, from detailing to the agency.