The Republican chair and Democratic ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee asked
Donald Trump to nominate a full bipartisan panel of commissioners for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, citing the rulemaking the agency would face if the digital-asset market-structure bill becomes law. In a letter sent Friday, Chair Glenn Thompson and ranking member Angie Craig wrote that "ensuring the Commission is well-equipped as the leading derivatives markets regulator in the world is a bipartisan priority," the Cointelegraph reported.
The CFTC has operated with a single member, Chair Michael Selig, since the December 2025 resignation of acting chair Caroline Pham, leaving four of five seats empty. As of Friday,
Trump had not publicly named any picks, and any nominations would likely need weeks or months to clear the Senate, the Cointelegraph reported. Selig told an April House Agriculture hearing he had no intention of slowing rulemaking despite the vacancies, and signed a March memorandum of understanding with the SEC to coordinate market oversight.
The letter landed a day after the Senate Banking Committee voted to advance the CLARITY Act, setting up a possible floor vote, with senior lawmakers saying the agency needs bipartisan leadership as it takes on a growing role policing US crypto trading, CoinDesk reported. The bill, expected to give the CFTC expanded authority over digital-asset markets, would carry significant implications for crypto users and companies. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, had earlier proposed an amendment requiring that the legislation not take effect until at least four CFTC commissioners are nominated and confirmed.
Under Selig, the commission has aligned with several administration positions, including a claim of "exclusive jurisdiction" over prediction markets, The Block reported. The Senate had not scheduled a floor vote on the CLARITY Act as of Friday, leaving the timeline for both the bill and any commissioner picks unresolved.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.