Updated March 20, 2025 at 13:46 PM ET
An attorney appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve on the Federal Trade Commission warns that his firing is a win for President Trump's wealthiest supporters.
The Trump administration this week fired Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, both Democratic commissioners on the FTC, before their seven-year terms were up. Both plan to sue, alleging their firings are illegal. Slaughter was appointed in 2018, during Trump's first term; Bedoya was appointed in 2022.
In 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the president cannot fire appointed leaders of federal agencies without cause. The FTC is an independent government agency responsible for policing corporate America and enforcing consumer protection laws.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president's actions, saying "the time was right to let these people go and the president absolutely has the authority to do it." When asked if the Trump administration's goal was to overturn the 1935 decision, Leavitt said "the goal was to let these individuals go. If we have to fight it all the way to the Supreme Court, we certainly will."
Bedoya told Morning Edition's Leila Fadel that the administration provided no justification for his termination. He also called the president's action "a naked power grab."
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Leila Fadel: On Wednesday we heard the White House press secretary say the president has the authority to fire FTC commissioners. What do you say to that?
Alvaro Bedoya: What's really interesting about that is the press secretary gives no reason whatsoever for why we're fired. No cause. And yet the Supreme Court has said, in a case that remains good law today, we can only be removed for neglect, malfeasance or inefficiency. This is a naked power grab on behalf of the president, and it's going to open the door for corruption and corporate giveaways, I think, for his top donors.
Fadel: How were you told you were fired?
Bedoya: It was just after work. I arrived at my daughter's gymnastics class and I got a call from my colleague, Commissioner Slaughter, telling me to check my email, that she'd just been fired or allegedly fired. And sure enough, there was an email from the president's staff claiming to fire me. No reason given whatsoever.
Fadel: The FTC historically has five members, no more than three from the same political party. Mark Meador, who is Trump's pick to fill a third Republican spot, has not yet been confirmed by the Senate. Can the commission function with just two members, both from the same party as the president?
Bedoya: It absolutely can. And I think that's what folks are missing here. Right now we're suing the largest provider of multifamily rental units in the country for packing their rent bills with hidden junk fees. We are trying to ban subscription traps that keep people from being able to unsubscribe from something unless they call, like, every other Tuesday between 10 a.m. and noon. We're suing John Deere for screwing over ranchers and farmers, preventing them from fixing their tractors, making them take it to the dealership. Any one of those cases, any one of those rules, can be withdrawn by the current commissioners, who the president says are on the commission, although I would say I'm still there myself.
Note: Real estate company Greystar called the FTC's suit "headline-grabbing litigation in the waning days of the [Biden] administration." John Deere said in a statement that the FTC's January 2025 lawsuit was based on a "flagrant misrepresentation of the facts and fatally flawed legal theories," adding that it "punishes innovation and procompetitive product design."
Fadel: You've said billionaires and Trump associates will benefit. Specifically who could benefit, how and why, with just two people from the same party on this commission?
Bedoya: Think about the billionaires who are over President Trump's shoulder at the inauguration. Elon Musk. Mark Zuckerberg. Jeff Bezos. I am currently suing or enforcing court orders against each of their companies. Amazon we're suing for ripping off small business sellers on their site such that the company pockets up to $0.50 of every dollar they make on that site and makes it nearly impossible for them to offer consumers lower prices off the site. I'm also sitting as a judge in a matter where staff is alleging that pharmacy middlemen are jacking up the price of insulin illegally. Any one of these actions could be withdrawn by the folks who the president says are currently at the commission.
And here's the thing — even if they oppose that, it doesn't matter. In a world where the president can fire anyone, at any time, they have a choice. They can either obey, or if they say no, what will happen to them is what has just happened to me.
Note: In response to the FTC's September 2023 lawsuit, Amazon called the complaint "misguided" and that the lawsuit revealed "the Commission's fundamental misunderstanding of retail."
Fadel: Some Trump allies would say the president has the right to put his own people in place and get rid of those he doesn't want. What do you say to those Americans?
Bedoya: I say that this is about corruption and corporate pardons. Let's go back to Amazon. We're already seeing this kind of conduct happen. One of the last public statements I made about Amazon was calling out how they treated their warehouse workers. These folks work so fast, so hard, that their hands stop working. Their shoulders tear. Their backs bulge and break. And yet, Amazon has cut a deal with the First Lady that will flow $28 million into her pockets. And now the person nominated to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a former Amazon executive.
There is every reason to think that these billionaires are going to use their power to shut down the lawsuits they don't like, that hurt small business sellers, that hurt people who are struggling to pay for their medicine. So this is not about a unitary executive. This is about corporate pardons and corruption for these folks who have sent hundreds of millions of dollars into the president's pockets.
Note: The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Melania Trump stands to earn "more than 70% of the $40 million" Amazon is paying to license a film about the First Lady. NPR has not independently confirmed the reporting.
Fadel: You talked about your concern that these firings will set a precedent, that anybody can be fired at any time. Are you optimistic that you'll be reinstated if you sue?
Bedoya: I am optimistic — and people need to understand if I can be removed for any reason at any time, so can Jerome Powell at the Fed. And so it's not just about small businesses and consumers. It's also about retirees and investors and their life savings in the stock market.
Ally Schweitzer edited this story. The radio version was edited by Lisa Thomson and produced by Destinee Adams.
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