The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on Wednesday on the nominees to serve on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The nominees are Joseph Simons (Chairman Designate), Christine Wilson, Noah Phillips and Rohit Chopra. The hearing covered a range of antitrust and consumer protection issues before, or potentially before, the Commission, including healthcare competition and pharmaceutical pricing; competition in technology and telecommunications sectors; industry concentration; cybersecurity breaches and privacy; and online or telemarketing deception and scams.
The general tone of the hearing was positive. No member of the Commerce Committee raised concerns with any specific nominee or suggested opposition. Chairman John Thune (R-SD) indicated his intention to seek a floor vote quickly on the nominees. The Committee shortened the period for additional written questions from members to one week, from the typical two weeks. Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) indicated that the chair hopes to schedule the nominees for a Committee vote in the Commerce Committee's next executive session.
A detailed summary of the hearing is linked below, along with links to member opening statements and witness testimony.
