On Tuesday, President Trump removed the two Democratic members from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), potentially challenging a 1935 Supreme Court precedent that restricts the firing of FTC commissioners except for “good cause.”
According to a report by The New York Times, the White House dismissed commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya earlier in the day. Slaughter described the dismissals as “illegal” in a statement.
Slaughter stated, “Today 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. Why? Because I have a voice. And he is afraid of what I’ll tell the American people.”
The FTC, established in 1914 and traditionally comprising five members, is responsible for enforcing consumer protection and antitrust laws. The Trump administration has taken assertive actions to challenge the authority of independent regulatory agencies, including the FTC.
