by Chris Farmer, NFDA General Counsel

President-elect Donald Trump announced today that he will be nominating current FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to head the Commission. Ferguson was confirmed by the Senate as a Commissioner in March for a term running through Sept. 25, 2030. In his short tenure on the Commission, Commissioner Ferguson has yet to comment publicly on the Funeral Rule.

Historically, current commissioners have been submitted to the Senate for confirmation as Chair, however, this process was by-passed by current Chair, Lina Khan, which added to the criticism of her tenure.

President-elect Trump also announced he will be nominating antitrust lawyer Mark Meador to be the third Republican on the Commission, along with former Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak. Meador is a former staffer for Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committe’s antitrust subcommittee.

NFDA is always watching out for your interests and will continue to monitor how the FTC will be impacted by President-elect Trump's nominees and philosophy toward regulation. Be assured, we will keep you updated when new developments occur.

Chris Farmer is NFDA's general counsel. He can be reached at CFarmer@NFDA.org.