FTC Firings Are Set to Test If Jerome Powell Can Be Fired Too

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has been crystal clear about whether President Donald Trump can fire him. “Not permitted under the law,” he said — twice — when asked in November.

Powell, who’s had the job since 2018, may soon find out if he was right.

Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, on March 19, 2025.

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

On Tuesday, the Trump administration dismissed the Federal Trade Commission’s two Democratic commissioners, Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. The firings are the most direct challenge yet to a 1935 Supreme Court decision that paved the way for the independent agencies that now populate the US government.

The ruling, known as Humphrey’s ...