US: White House to nominate 4 Commissioners to FTC

This would bring the Commission to full strength, except that Simons is being nominated for Democrat Terrel McSweeny’s seat, according to Politico, citing the White House official. If ratified, this would leave one vacant seat to be occupied by a Democrat or independent (yet to be nominated), and a balance of three Republicans to one Democrat.

The agency has been operating with an unprecedented two Commissioners since January of 2017 when then Chairman Edith Ramirez stepped down. It is headed by acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, a Republican, and Terrell McSweeny the only other commissioner. Last year, Trump announced his intention to nominate antitrust attorney Joseph Simons to chair the agency.

Ohlhausen has been nominated to be a judge on the US Court of Federal Claims, and is yet to be ratified. McSweeny’s term ended last fall, but she has stayed on pending confirmation of a replacement.

Phillips is the chief counsel for Senator John Cornyn and a veteran of the major law firms Steptoe & Johnson Llp and Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

Wilson, a former chief of staff to former FTC Chairman Tim Muris, is a senior vice president for regulatory and international affairs at Delta Air Lines.

Simons, Trump’s pick to be FTC chairman, is a longtime corporate antitrust attorney with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison who also headed the FTC’s competition bureau under the George W. Bush administration.

Chopra, the single Democrat nominated, was formerly Assistant Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he oversaw the agency’s agenda on students and young consumers. He was also appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury as the agency’s first Student Loan Ombudsman, a new position created in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Full Content: Politico & Reuters

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