A group of Senate Democrats is calling on President Trump to reverse the firings of two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to allow the independent agency to “get back to the people’s work.”
In a letter to Trump on Wednesday, more than two dozen lawmakers argued the firings “upend” the FTC’s work on antitrust and consumer protection enforcement.
“This action contradicts long standing Supreme Court precedent, undermines Congress’s constitutional authority to create bipartisan, independent commissions,” the lawmakers wrote, adding later, “We urge you to rescind these dismissals so the FTC can get back to the people’s work.”
The letter was led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). It was signed by more than two dozen other Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said they were both illegally fired on Tuesday. The news followed weeks of swirling concerns about the agency’s independence as Trump moves to expand his control at various regulatory bodies.
Democratic lawmakers and tech watchdog groups were quick to slam the decision, characterizing it as a favor to leading technology companies that contributed to Trump ahead of his second term.
The FTC is weighing various antitrust cases against companies including Meta and Amazon, which both had leaders seek to reconcile with Trump ahead of his second term through inaugural committee donations and meetings at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
The senators emphasized the FTC is an independent body made up of members from both parties. It is made up of five commissioners, who must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and no more than three commissioners can be from the same political party.
“Congress established the FTC in 1914 as an independent agency made up of bipartisan, multi-member, expert commissioners who are tasked with protecting consumers,” the senators wrote. “In 2024 alone, the FTC used this authority to return more than $330 million to consumers, while simultaneously blocking anticompetitive mergers and challenging monopoly power that can result in higher prices, fewer choices, and less opportunity for American consumers, workers, and small businesses.”
“The FTC has consistently carried out this mandate as a bipartisan commission under Republican and Democratic administrations,” they added.
The precedent discussed in the Senate letter refers to the Supreme Court’s 1935 Humphrey’s Executor vs the United States decision, which granted protections against a president removing members of independent boards without cause.
According to a copy of Slaughter’s termination letter obtained by The Hill, the White House official argued Humphrey’s Executor does not apply to the commissioners and cited Article II of the Constitution, which establishes the executive branch of the federal government.
The official later stated the commissioner’s continued service on the FTC was “inconsistent” with the Trump administration’s policies.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that the “time was right to let these people go,” while White House Press Assistant Taylor Rogers signaled the administration will continue its efforts.
”President Trump has the lawful authority to manage personnel within the executive branch,” Rogers wrote to The Hill. “President Trump will continue to rid the federal government of bad actors unaligned with his common sense agenda the American people decisively voted for.”
Bedoya said he plans to sue the Trump administration for the termination. Leavitt on Wednesday pledged to defend the moves in court.
