New York
CNN
—
President Donald Trump fired two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, with both commissioners saying they were ”illegally fired.”
Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya posted a scathing critique of the Trump administration on X after the firing.
“I’m a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission. The president just illegally fired me,” Bedoya wrote. “Now, the president wants the FTC to be a lapdog for his golfing buddies.”
In a separate emailed statement, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said: “The President illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent.”
She continued, “Why? Because I have a voice. And he is afraid of what I’ll tell the American people.”
The FTC was formed 111 years ago to enforce consumer protection and antitrust laws. Under then-Chair Lina Khan, the Biden administration aggressively took on major cases, such as the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger and the Kroger acquisition of Albertsons. The FTC commission is made up of five commissioners, with no more than three commissioners from the same political party.
Khan called the firings an “illegal attempt” to remove the commissioners, adding that the dismissals are “a gift to corporate lawbreakers that squeeze American consumers, workers, and honest businesses” in a post on X.
The firings are another example of the Trump administration undermining or significantly weakening independent watchdogs and regulators in Washington. Trump drastically limited the operations of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the banking watchdog created after the subprime mortgage meltdown and the 2008 global financial crisis.
“Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or someone who’s so disgusted with Washington you can barely watch the news, the FTC has worked for you,” Bedoya wrote in his critique.
Current FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a statement on social media that he has “no doubts” about Trump’s “constitutional authority to remove Commissioners, which is necessary to ensure democratic accountability for our government.”
But critics disagreed with Ferguson’s assessment.
While Trump was expected to replace Khan, who left the agency in January, questions have been raised over how the agency will handle ongoing antitrust cases against tech giants. The FTC under Khan had aggressively gone after Big Tech and Big Pharma.
“This is about the independence of an agency that has time and again stood up for the little guy,” Bedoya said in a press conference on Tuesday night, citing the agency’s aim to protect the prices of groceries and inhalers.
In an emailed statement Tuesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said that “the courts must reinstate the commissioners.”
“Donald Trump just illegally fired two independent commissioners at the FTC who fight big corporations that abuse consumers and workers,” the senator said.
A White House official confirmed the dismissals.
Donald Judd and Rashard Rose contributed to reporting.
