Trump fires Democratic FTC commissioners
President Donald Trump fired two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, with both commissioners saying they were ”illegally fired.”
2025-03-19 18:56:08 - VI News Staff
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.