Two Democratic commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) were dismissed by President Trump on Tuesday. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya condemned their termination as unlawful and threatened to sue the administration.
The action infuriated antitrust activists and Democrats. They perceive it as an effort to undermine the independence of the FTC. Senator Amy Klobuchar cautioned that it will favor monopolists at the expense of consumers. In a social media post, Bedoya described the FTC as a possible "lapdog" for Trump's supporters. According to Slaughter, the dismissal was illegal and went against Supreme Court rulings.
The White House defended the decision. According to the report, the president has "unrestricted" authority to fire commissioners. Republican FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson supported Trump's authority. Following the firings, the FTC now has only two sitting members. This jeopardizes ongoing investigations and legal proceedings. A lawsuit against pharmacy benefit administrators now needs a quorum to move forward.
Democratic senators may reconsider their backing for Trump's Federal Trade Commission pick. Bedoya cautioned that the action could allow for corporate malfeasance. The incident only adds to Trump's legal conflicts about his authority to remove officials from independent agencies.
