NCL condemns illegal firings of FTC commissioners
Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829
March 18, 2025: Washington, DC — Today, President Trump unlawfully terminated Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter from their positions at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Commissioner Slaughter was terminated more than five years before her term would expire; Commissioner Bedoya was terminated more than two years before his term would expire.
The Commission conducts important work to protect Americans from a range of harms, including elder fraud, children’s privacy violations, and deceptive advertising. Today’s egregious violation of the consumer protection agency’s independence jeopardizes its bipartisan mission to protect everyday Americans from marketplace harms, even those perpetrated by politically-connected individuals.
“Consumer protection work is not a partisan game,” said NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud John Breyault. “With consumers losing more than $150 billion to fraud each year, we need consistent and reliable watchdogs at our law enforcement agencies. The firing of dedicated public servants because they belong to the wrong political party will make the FTC’s work even harder. NCL unequivocally condemns these firings.”
Despite its hamstrung resources, the Commission does irreplaceable work to defend Americans from bad actors like scammers and monopolists. The agency returned $324 million in refunds to Americans in 2023. Every $1 of the FTC’s costs return an estimated $14 in benefits to consumers through its consumer protection and competition law enforcement efforts.
By illegally subjecting commissioners to White House control, President Trump has sent a message that common-sense consumer protection work should not continue unless it serves his political goals. Congress established independent agencies like the FTC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Federal Elections Commission to ensure that federal oversight of critical issues is insulated from electoral, partisan, and personal games.
The Supreme Court has already ruled that a president cannot fire FTC commissioners simply for political purposes. The Supreme Court upheld this precedent as recently as 2020.
Further reading:
- NCL statement on the confirmation of Alvaro Bedoya as FTC commissioner
- NCL urges swift confirmation of FTC nominees
- NCL praises FTC’s multilingual fraud reporting announcement
- NCL applauds FTC action to stop imminent grocery monopoly
- NCL welcomes FTC’s click-to-cancel rule
- NCL statement on FTC’s win in lawsuit against makers of dietary supplement Prevagen
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