(AmericanProsperity.com) – The days of the bogus “independence” at the Federal Trade Commission are finally over after President Donald Trump decisively fired two Democrat members.
The dismissal of commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter marks a critical move to reign in unelected bureaucrats who have expanded their power beyond what Congress intended.
The move sent shockwaves through Washington’s administrative state as President Trump continues his promised mission to drain the swamp.
Both Democrat commissioners immediately claimed their firings were “illegal,” even though the Constitution clearly empowers the president as head of the executive branch.
Slaughter said:
“Today, the president illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent. Why? Because I have a voice, and he is afraid of what I’ll tell the American people.”
Republican FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson backed Trump’s decision, noting that “President Donald J. Trump is the head of the executive branch and is vested with all of the executive power in our government.”
The Democrats’ claims about statutory protections fail to acknowledge the president’s constitutional authority over executive agencies.
Established to combat fraud and monopolies, the FTC has increasingly overstepped its authority under Biden-appointed commissioners.
President Trump’s action rebalances power toward the elected president rather than unaccountable bureaucrats who often impose job-killing regulations without answering to voters.
With Bedoya and Slaughter removed, the FTC now has two Republican commissioners. A third Republican nominee, Mark Meador, is awaiting Senate confirmation.
This shift will likely redirect the agency away from its aggressive regulatory stance under Democrat leadership.
These dismissals follow President Trump’s broader effort to reassert control over the administrative state, including his earlier executive order to increase White House oversight of regulatory agencies.
The move also comes after the removal of outdated FTC blog posts published during the Biden administration.
The fired commissioners plan to challenge their dismissals in court, claiming protection under the 1935 case Humphrey’s Executor v. United States.
However, many legal scholars have questioned whether that 89-year-old ruling is consistent with the Constitution’s clear vesting of executive power in the president.
Democrats in Congress predictably criticized the move. Senators Maria Cantwell and Amy Klobuchar claimed the firings would harm consumer protection.
However, critics argue that Democrats ignore how the FTC has increasingly targeted legitimate businesses rather than focusing on actual fraud.
The White House asserts that the president has constitutional authority to remove executive officers he appointed.
This stance reflects President Trump’s commitment to ensuring that government agencies serve the American people rather than entrenched Washington bureaucrats with their own agendas.
The showdown represents a critical test of presidential authority over the administrative state that has grown unchecked for decades.
For too long, unelected officials have wielded enormous power over American businesses and consumers with minimal accountability to voters or their elected representatives.
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