White House Claims It Requested Democratic Names for SEC, CFTC Vacancies but Received None, July 9

According to a White House statement on July 9, the Trump administration said it had requested Democratic candidate names for Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) vacancies but did not receive them in response. The statement disputed Senate Democrats' June 10 letter accusing the administration of refusing to nominate Democratic commissioners to agencies designed for bipartisan membership.

The SEC currently has three Republican commissioners, all appointed or nominated by Trump, including Paul Atkins, who replaced Gary Gensler and has shifted the agency toward a pro-crypto agenda. Democratic Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw departed January 2, 2026, leaving the five-member commission without Democratic representation.