Washington, D.C. (11 May)—Independent federal commissions are expected to objectively consider economic analysis and avoid political pressure. Sadly, some in Washington wish to transform them into political bodies. Compounding the problem: since the confirmation of Chair Lina Khan by the Senate late summer, the FTC has seen staff morale collapse and its reputation undermined.
Given this, the partisan confirmation of Alvaro Bedoya will only further empower Chair Khan to take the FTC down a political path and further away from its unbiased, reason-based, and analytical roots.
“Bedoya’s confirmation along partisan lines means Chair Khan has the votes she needs to accomplish her radical progressive goals at the expense of politicizing the FTC,” said Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel at NetChoice. “Despite not having a majority, Chair Khan has spent the last year steering the agency into dangerous waters while using tools like Ghost votes and agency wide gag orders to prevent dissent. Now with Bedoya’s support, Chair Khan can take the FTC full throttle toward politicization and progressivism.”
“A radical FTC freed from key American law and objective economic principles will harm all Americans by ruining healthy and competitive markets to advance progressive policies.”