Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection.

The FTC shares jurisdiction over federal civil antitrust law enforcement with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The agency is headquartered in the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, DC.

The FTC was established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act, which was passed in response to the 19th-century monopolistic trust crisis. Since its inception, the FTC has enforced the provisions of the Clayton Act, a key U.S. antitrust statute, as well as the provisions of the FTC Act, et seq. Over time, the FTC has been delegated with the enforcement of additional business regulation statutes and has promulgated a number of regulations (codified in Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations). The broad statutory authority granted to the FTC provides it with more surveillance and monitoring abilities than it actually uses.

The FTC is composed of five commissioners who were nominated by the President and subject to Senate confirmation. Commissioners serve seven-year terms, and by law can only be fired for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." No more than three FTC members can be from the same party. One member of the body serves as FTC Chair at the President's pleasure, with Commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson having served as chair since January 2025.

In March 2025, President Donald Trump ordered the firing of two FTC commissioners without cause, sparking a legal dispute over the two seats. Provided by Wikipedia