The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed Mark Meador, President Donald Trump’s nominee, to serve as a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), giving Republicans a majority on the powerful consumer protection and antitrust agency.
Meador, a partner at Kressin Meador Powers and a former top antitrust adviser to Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), fills the third Republican seat on the five-member commission. His confirmation comes despite strong objections from Democrats, who criticized Trump’s recent dismissal of two Democratic commissioners.
Those former commissioners, Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, have argued that their firings were unlawful and are seeking reinstatement through the courts. However, even if they return, Republicans will retain control.
Before joining the private sector, Meador held antitrust roles at both the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice. During his Senate confirmation hearing in February, he stressed the need for strong antitrust enforcement, saying it was key to keeping prices fair for consumers.
“Protecting competition in all of our markets is essential to ensuring that America’s free market economy operates as our servant, not our master,” Meador said during his testimony.
Meanwhile, concerns were raised this week by Slaughter and Bedoya regarding the potential involvement of staff from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). They fear that DOGE personnel may gain improper access to sensitive FTC data.
In response, Meador reassured lawmakers at his hearing that the FTC would follow all legal boundaries around confidential information, particularly those related to mergers and market investigations. “The FTC will follow the laws that it enforces as well as the laws that restrict it,” he stated.
With Meador now confirmed, the FTC is set for a shift in priorities under its new Republican-led leadership.
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