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Federal Trade Commission
CommissionsFor-cause removal
At a glance
Type
Independent regulatory commissions
Removal of leadership
Removable only for cause
Appointed by
Members appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate
Structure
5-member commission · led by the Chair
Term
7-year term · staggered · party-balanced
Funding
Annual appropriations
Independence
Independent
Statute (15 U.S.C. 41) limits removal to inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance; upheld in Humphrey's Executor (1935). That protection is contested in Trump v. Slaughter (argued Dec. 8, 2025) after President Trump removed Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter without cause in March 2025; the Court was urged to overrule Humphrey's Executor. No decision had issued as of mid-2026, so the for-cause protection remains the governing law but its survival is uncertain.
What it does
The FTC enforces federal consumer-protection and antitrust laws, policing unfair or deceptive business practices, fraud, and anticompetitive mergers. It can investigate companies, bring enforcement actions, and write rules that bind businesses across most of the U.S. economy.
TradeFinancialJustice
How it fits
Created by Congress under the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. ch. 2, subch. I (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.); Pub. L. 63-203, 38 Stat. 717 (Sept. 26, 1914)), it acts within the authority that statute grants. Its actions are subject to judicial review and to congressional oversight and funding.
Recent actions
SES Performance Review Board
Petition for Rulemaking of New Hope Now
Sunshine Act Meeting Notice
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension
Publicis and LiveRamp; Analysis of Proposed Agreement Containing Consent Order To Aid Public Comment
Granting of Requests for Early Termination of the Waiting Period under the Premerger Notification Rules
Petition for Rulemaking of Jason Plotzker
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension