FTC’s Bedoya Steps Down Amid Legal Challenge to Trump-Era Firing

Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya announced Monday that he will step down from his position at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), citing ethics rules, while continuing to press forward with a legal challenge to his removal by former President Donald Trump.

Bedoya, one of the two Democratic commissioners ousted from the agency, shared on social media that although he remains passionate about his work at the FTC, the unpaid status of his role was unsustainable. “I love this work. But I’m not getting paid for it,” he stated. “But my number one job is to take care of my family.”

According to Reuters, Bedoya’s departure leaves the FTC—an agency tasked with enforcing antitrust laws and protecting consumer rights—under the control of three Republican commissioners. His colleague, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, also a Democratic appointee, is similarly challenging her dismissal in court, seeking a ruling that would reinstate her position.

Related: Federal Court to Hear Case on Trump’s Firing of FTC Democrats

The lawsuits filed by Bedoya and Slaughter are part of a growing legal effort aimed at contesting the limits of presidential authority over independent federal agencies. Per Reuters, these legal disputes may ultimately put a nearly century-old Supreme Court precedent to the test. The 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States has long protected independent agency officials from being removed at the president’s discretion.

The stakes extend beyond the FTC. A ruling that undermines this precedent could reshape how various independent regulatory bodies operate, including those overseeing financial markets, public health, and transportation safety.

As Reuters reported, the Supreme Court recently weighed in on similar cases involving other federal boards. Last month, the high court allowed President Trump’s dismissal of Democratic members from federal labor agencies to stand while litigation continues. That decision temporarily overruled lower court orders that had shielded appointees Cathy Harris and Gwynne Wilcox from being removed before their terms expired.

Source: Reuters