President Donald Trump dismissed two Democratic commissioners from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday, further challenging the independence of regulatory agencies.
A White House official confirmed the termination of Democratic Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, following an initial report by Reuters, but did not provide additional details.
The move sparked a strong backlash from Democratic senators and antitrust groups, who expressed concern that the firings were aimed at eliminating opposition to big corporations within the agency.
"This unlawful dismantling of the Commission will empower fraudsters and monopolists, and consumers will suffer the consequences," said Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, in a statement.
The FTC, which enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws, operates with a bipartisan structure, ensuring that no more than three of its five commissioners belong to the same political party.
Both Bedoya and Slaughter have vowed to sue to reverse their dismissals. "This is corruption, plain and simple," Bedoya wrote in a statement on X.
Slaughter added, "The President unlawfully fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating clear statutory language and Supreme Court precedent."
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, a Republican appointed last year by President Joe Biden and named chairman by Trump, defended the firings, asserting that he had "no doubts" about Trump’s constitutional authority to remove commissioners. "This is necessary to ensure democratic accountability for our government," Ferguson said on X. "The Federal Trade Commission will continue its tireless work to protect consumers, lower prices, and combat anticompetitive practices."
Mark Meador, Trump’s nominee for the third Republican seat on the commission, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. It remains unclear whether the Trump administration plans to nominate replacements for the two fired commissioners. The FTC can still bring or dismiss cases with only two commissioners.
White House Influence
Trump has faced legal challenges for dismissing members of other independent agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that allowed the firing of FTC commissioners only for good cause, such as neglecting duties. This ruling protects the independence of various bipartisan, multi-member agencies from direct White House control.
Two federal judges in Washington, D.C., have ruled that Trump’s firing of NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board Member Cathy Harris violated federal law.
The Trump administration has adopted a broad interpretation of presidential authority, and an executive order on February 18 granted the White House increased control over independent agencies.
These recent firings may complicate Ferguson’s efforts to maintain the FTC’s reputation for safeguarding consumers and promoting competition in U.S. markets.
Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, the second Republican on the commission, and Ferguson were both recused from the FTC’s case against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers, who are accused of steering diabetes patients toward higher-priced insulin to secure millions in rebates from pharmaceutical companies.
The recusals raise questions about how the FTC will proceed with the case.
Klobuchar told Reuters on Tuesday that, although she previously supported Meador’s nomination, she would no longer do so. "I don’t understand why we would support their commissioners when they’re firing people," she said.
Ferguson has reiterated the agency’s commitment to regulating Big Tech, as the FTC prepares for trials in cases involving Meta Platforms and two separate cases against Amazon. It is also enforcing privacy-related settlements with Meta and X.
