Fired members of Federal Trade Commission confirmed to be Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter

Summary

Donald Trump fired FTC Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, the agency’s only Democrats, prompting accusations of illegal action.

Both cited Supreme Court precedent protecting FTC commissioners from dismissal without cause. Bedoya warned Trump wants the FTC to serve corporate interests, while Slaughter said the administration fears accountability.

The 1935 Supreme Court ruling bars presidents from removing FTC commissioners arbitrarily.

Critics say the move undermines regulatory independence and eliminates opposition voices that could challenge Trump’s policies favoring major corporations.

  • Phoenixz
    20•4 months ago

    Enjoy your tiered internet, US citizens! Want to access cnn.com? That’s in the special site, requires the premium package of 150/month extra but we’ll throw in free reddit.com…

    • @[email protected]
      8•4 months ago

      Hey bud, FTC, not FCC. Both woulf be bad but this might be worse.

      FTC website (current 20250319)

      The Commission is headed by five Commissioners, nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, each serving a seven-year term. No more than three Commissioners can be of the same political party. The President chooses one Commissioner to act as Chair.

      FTC website (current 20250319)

      The FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection stops unfair, deceptive and fraudulent business practices by collecting reports from consumers and conducting investigations, suing companies and people that break the law, developing rules to maintain a fair marketplace, and educating consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities.

  • LupusBlackfur
    140•4 months ago

    Most blatantly and openly venal miserable and horrible attempt at an “administration” in the last 60yrs… Likely in US history.

    Helluva legacy for you Chump! Good one!

    🙄 🙄 🖕 🖕 🖕

    • @[email protected]
      11•4 months ago

      The fact that approval ratings for Trump are still as high as they are while the approval for the only other far, far, far lesser evil you can vote, the Democrats, is sinking, does not give me any hope whatsoever for the US, were I naive enough to believe that the next elections that matter could come soon enough or that they would still remain legitimate. The US no longer has a trace of Democracy except for the mask it wears, it is at the same or even lower level than Russia’s.

      • @[email protected]
        17•4 months ago

        I think it’s important to put it in context: the Democrats are hemorrhaging support from their base who thinks they should be doing more to resist this administration. That does not mean they are losing support in favor of Republicans.

        Meanwhile Trump is only losing a tiny amount of support because his base is a cult of personality that worships him. They won’t turn against him until he’s hurting them so directly that they can’t rationalize it as somehow being Obama’s fault. But many of them are delusional enough that they will never abandon their fealty so matter how much he harms them.

        • @[email protected]
          4•4 months ago

          Democrats hemorrhaging support despite that support not being in favor of Republicans is what already cost them the elections, and they are the sort to more easily fall prey to propaganda meant to dissuade them from participating.

    • venotic
      40•4 months ago

      All that he’s missing is a war America is involved in, not related to the trade tariffs. We’ll find out which country he wants to go to war with soon.

      • @[email protected]
        28•4 months ago

        Canada, Greenland or Panama. He’s still deciding. Give him time it’s been a busy two months!

          • @[email protected]
            8•4 months ago

            That is one of my more annoying thoughts. In his child-like rampaging through the most powerful office in the world, he might accidentally do something good like wipe out the cartels or give support to a country that really needs it on the global scale. The cost will be extremely high. Like through the twisted Nazi experiments, we ended up learning a ton about mental health and brain responses that… Well, it’s probably the only way to discover some of those things. But the methodology is unthinkable.

            • @[email protected]
              11•4 months ago

              He may have some success in beating the cartels back, somewhat. But overall he’s not going to support any country down there, he’s going to send the military to bomb the fuck out of what little infrastructure they have, cause large amounts of collateral damage and death, and seize whatever is of value. We’ve already seen this playbook in the middle east.

              • @[email protected]
                2•4 months ago

                I didn’t really do a good job in my comment. I meant fostering support by others, just like Ukraine. Against his whatever crazy agenda. But I totally agree.

              • @[email protected]English
                3•4 months ago

                Playing this forward in my head -

                The U.S. attacks Panama, who probably have some way of sabotaging or permanently disabling the locks, which are already struggling to keep up with modern shipping demands, despite the recent expansion. Under the weight of either the U.S. attack or the inoperability of the locks and resulting loss of income, the Panamanian government falters, and the only groups with money and a need for land with loose or weak laws is the cartels. The resulting instability may or may not spread to other countries, but the displaced people/refugees will directly or indirectly exacerbate immigration to the U.S. Within 15 years Arctic Sea ice has decreased to a point that the Arctic will be navigable in the summer. Within 50, during the winter, as well. If not sooner, if the U.S.’ attempts to roll back climate policies are successful.

                All in all, a losing proposition in the short and long term. Trump’s kind of “deal.”

      • @[email protected]English
        5•4 months ago

        Here in America we have great wars, the best wars, possibly ever. We do war so well we fight on both sides, and we always win. We’re so good at war, we keep it civil. The most civil of any war, possibly ever.

  • venotic
    59•4 months ago

    administration fears accountability

    Pfffft. That is so fucking bullshit. No they don’t. They don’t fear accountability or responsibility. This administration is lead by a 34-count convicted felon/rapist, a two-time impeached, failed businessman of a crook. What the fuck does he have to lose in terms of credibility that makes him think twice of the actions he’s done?

    • @[email protected]
      6•4 months ago

      Sure he fears accountability, all profligates do especially when that accountability comes in the form of extreme violence. Ooh maybe we can give out loto tickets to decide who lives or dies, only two get to live one though one will get their legs crippled. Truly I need to stop playing New Vegas

    • @[email protected]English
      31•4 months ago

      He straight up admitted on air that the election was rigged, and there hasn’t been a peep from anyone

    • Drusas
      32•4 months ago

      Earlier today, the DC police forcibly removed the employees of an independent agency after the employees called said police to get the illegal attempted-invaders removed.

  • @[email protected]English
    55•4 months ago

    Woke: Get illegally fired and act like you were fired illegally. Keep going to work. Let security block your entry. Argue that you still work there because the order to fire you was illegal. When you’re arrested, take the matter to court and get legal standing on the fact that your firing was illegal.

    Broke: Get illegally fired and whine on social media about it.

    • @[email protected]
      25•4 months ago

      I’m sure going into the FTC, swiping their security fob and having it deny them entry would be a huge boon for their cause. If they’re asked to leave by security and they don’t they can be legally arrested for trespassing.

      The same afternoon she was dismissed, Slaughter is out with an official statement and on the phone to multiple press agencies to get the story out immediately. Sure sounds like someone taking action to me. No doubt she will take them to court (likely the other guy will join her) but that doesn’t happen overnight, this was literally yesterday - best lawyer in the world would struggle to have an actionable case ready yet.

      You’ll note that none of the above can be done if you’re still under arrest for trespass…

  • @[email protected]
    20•4 months ago

    I feel like if a democrat did something like this fox news et al would be screaming screaming screaming and there would be violent riots. Why is everyone else so docile?

    • @[email protected]
      28•4 months ago

      No, this one is pretty clear. The FTC chairs very specifically cannot be made up of members of a single party, with a maximum ratio of 3 members of one party to 2 of others.

      If he really wanted to skirt the law without ipenly defying it, he could invent a new, fake, political party for replacement commissioners. But Trump has zero interest in obeying the law now that he’s been specifically granted immunity from prosecution for violation of the law.

    • @[email protected]
      18•4 months ago

      They do have a ruling. 1935. May not without cause. Specific language is inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. So your point is…?

    • crazyhotpasta
      27•4 months ago

      Dude is trying to be like undercover cops. “RedditSucks” and “88” in a same package lmao we all believe u bro 👍🏼🤣

  • @[email protected]English
    34•4 months ago

    so, two rational conclusions here:

    if he illegally fired you, you were not fired. show up to your job, sue when they don’t pay you.

    OR

    laws are bullshit. grab a gun and find a nazi to point it at.