The White House and Senate Democrats are locked in a blame game over who’s actually dragging their feet on filling vacancies at the SEC and CFTC. The administration says it has reached out to Democrats for nominee recommendations and gotten radio silence in return. Democrats say the opposite.
The letter, the response, and the finger-pointing
On June 9, several Democratic senators, including Chris Van Hollen and Raphael Warnock, sent a formal letter to Dan Scavino, the White House Office of Presidential Personnel Director. Their message was straightforward: start engaging on Democratic nominees for the SEC, FDIC, and the Export-Import Bank immediately.
The legal argument isn’t trivial. The Securities Exchange Act requires that SEC appointments alternate between parties “as practicable.” The senators are warning that filling another Republican seat without a corresponding Democratic appointment could cross a legal line.
The White House sees it differently. According to administration messaging, it has proactively requested Democratic names for both SEC and CFTC vacancies but hasn’t received responses.
