Trump Destroyed the Independence of America's Major Consumer Protection Agency

Trump fired independent commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) without cause, which is unprecedented.

Our Analysis

The FTC has served as an independent regulator, protecting consumers and racking up big wins for Americans from stopping overpriced insulin to banning predatory noncompete agreements and policing illegal collection, use, and sale of Americans' sensitive personal information.

The FTC has five commissioners, with 3 from the President's political party.

Commissioners can only be fired for cause, and not just because the President doesn't like their opinions. This keeps things balanced.

Trump, in an unprecedented first, illegally fired the Democratic commissioners of the FTC, destroying the balance in an "independent" regulatory agency and giving Republicans 100% control.

Given Republican priorities, this move directly helps large corporations and billionares at the expense of average Americans.

Sources

Both sides aren't the same:

What the "other side" did

As far as we can tell, a Democratic president has never fired a Republican FTC commissioner in this manner.

We were unable to find a source with an example of a firing – if you can find one, submit a tip to us!