Federal Election Commission vice chair announces resignation, leaving the agency powerless


A highly contested presidential race is when the U.S. would need an election watchdog the most.
Yet the Federal Election Commission — the agency tasked with overseeing and regulating campaign finance in federal elections — is about to be rendered essentially powerless. That's because Vice Chair Matt Petersen submitted his resignation on Monday, leaving it without the four-person quota needed to vote, conduct investigations, and impose fines, among other things, The Center for Public Integrity reports.
The Washington Examiner first got ahold of Petersen's resignation letter to President Trump, in which he says he'll be leaving the FEC at the end of the month. The Republican's departure leaves a Democrat, and Independent, and another Republican left on the board. Only three people from a single political party can serve as FEC chairs at a time.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The reduction of the FEC's power to essentially zero has been a long time coming, with the six-person commission running with just four members since early 2018. Commission chairs are usually nominated in pairs from opposing parties, but Trump only nominated Republican and bonafide Trump backer Trey Trainor back in late 2017. That means come September, the FEC will be left without most of its powers for the first time since 2008 — right as the heated 2020 election cycle really heats up.
Read more about the FEC's lost responsibilities at The Center for Public Integrity.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates