Senate Panel to Conduct FTC Oversight Hearing Next Week
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wants to review post-Biden FTC.
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2026 – For the first time in nearly six years, Congress will conduct an oversight hearing of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) next week.
On Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will convene a full committee hearing about the FTC’s progress and priorities on Wednesday, April 15.
As chairman, Cruz will conduct the hearing titled “Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission,” which will allow senators to share about and assess the FTC’s current leadership. He said the last time FTC commissioners appeared before the committee for an oversight hearing was on Aug. 5, 2020 with a Republican-controlled Senate.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and FTC Commissioner Mark Meador will have the opportunity to address the committee as witnesses in the hearing.
“Throughout the Biden administration and Democrat-controlled Senate, former FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan weaponized the agency to pursue a political agenda well outside the FTC’s legal jurisdiction,” Cruz said. “I look forward to examining Chairman Ferguson’s work to rebuild the FTC’s morale and legitimacy and ensure that the agency’s priorities remain within the authority granted by Congress.”
The FTC is usually headed by five commissioners, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but the current agency has only two leaders, Ferguson and Meador, both members of the Republican party.
The FTC has also been popular among conservative groups. In March, 10 political advocacy group leaders wrote a letter asking House and Senate leaders in the appropriations committee for a big budget increase for the FTC. They applauded the FTC’s accomplishments and urged for an appropriation to the FTC of $575 million for fiscal year 2027, a 35% increase over current levels.
The Senate committee’s hearing to review the FTC is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on April 15, in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
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