Today, the Senate Commerce Committee held confirmation hearings for nominees to the Federal Trade Commission. The President has nominated, Joseph Simons as Chairman, and Christine Wilson, Noah Phillips, and Rohit Chopra as Commissioners to fill four of the five vacant seats.
The following can be attributed to Grover G. Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform:
It is one year in and we still don’t have a pro-competitive republican majority able to make decisions at the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has only two commissioners, who are both ready to depart, leaving space for the appointments of five commissioners.
We need a republican lead Federal Trade Commission committed to protecting the competitive marketplace. After today’s hearing, I hope to see the nominees move quickly to the floor for confirmation.
The following can be attributed to Katie McAuliffe, Executive Director of Digital Liberty:
A republican majority at the FTC is incredibly important and has been neglected until now. Digital Liberty urges the Senate to move as quickly as possible to finally confirm the Federal Trade Commission nominees.
With Acting Chairman Ohlhausen’s nomination to the Court of Federal Claims, and Terrell McSweeny’s planned departure, the Senate needs to move quickly to rebuild the Commission.
Mr. Simons, the nominee to become the next Chairman of the FTC, has worked at the FTC twice, most notably, having served as the Director of the Bureau of Competition. He is a passionate, and experienced attorney with both private practice and government experience.
Ms. Wilson, has worked her entire career as an antitrust lawyer, and has also served in the Federal Trade Commission, most notably as the Chief of Staff to former FTC Chairman Muris.
Mr. Philips serves as Chief Counsel to Senator Cornyn, and has advised on numerous antitrust, consumer protection policies. He also has strong private sector experience in mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Chopra, was with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an assistant director from 2010-2015 and is currently a Senior Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America.
It is expected that Rebecca Slaughter, Chief Counsel to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, will fill the final spot.