U.S. President Donald Trump has fired two Democratic officials at the National Labor Relations Board, a major shakeup that will bring hundreds of cases accusing companies of unlawful labor practices to a standstill and paves the way for Republican control of the agency.

President Donald Trump purged two National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) leaders known for supporting worker rights on Tuesday, signaling a sharp re-orientation of federal law enforcement towards a management-friendly approach favored by business executives and supporters like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

President Donald Trump has removed a Democratic member of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board from office, an unprecedented move that will escalate an ongoing legal battle over the scope of the president's powers to control federal agencies.

Federal labor law explicitly limits removal of board members to instances of neglect or malfeasance. The termination is among several early moves Trump has made that push at the boundaries of executive authority.

The removal of the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel had been expected. But the firing of a Democratic member stops it from protecting workers’ rights, for now.

Democratic NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox called her removal “unprecedented and illegal” and vowed to challenge the decision.

U.S. President Donald Trump has fired at least two Democratic members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal laws banning workplace discrimination, in an unprecedented move likely to spur legal challenges.