Conservative Groups Call On Senate To Oppose ‘Ideological, Progressive’ Biden FTC Nominee, Warning Of ‘Hyper-Partisan, Extremist Advocacy’

Mary Margaret OlohanMarch 31, 2022

Conservative groups are calling for lawmakers to oppose President Joe Biden’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) nominee, warning that Alvaro Bedoya would “bring a record of hyper-partisan, extremist advocacy to the FTC.”

Conservative groups warned the Senate that Bedoya would “would steer the agency in a direction of over-reaching and harmful regulatory policies” in a letter initially sent in early March and re-sent Thursday ahead of the Senate vote.

The letter is signed by Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, American Commitment President Phil Kerpen, and a slew of other conservative leaders.

“The FTC is an enforcement agency with oversight of issues such as antitrust, consumer protection, and privacy,” the letter warned. “The Commission should respect the long-standing commitment to the consumer welfare standard and free markets, not focus on expanding government control or social issues.”

“Bedoya would not bring a cooler head but would exacerbate the FTC’s increasing disregard for consensus and precedent,” the letter said. “As an enforcement agency, FTC commissioners should strive towards a cooperative, measured, and transparent approach to decisions, aiming towards unanimity over political gamesmanship.”

Bedoya has repeatedly criticized conservative figures like former President Donald Trump, asking in a January 2018 tweet, “What ELSE does Trump have to say for the media to expressly call him a racist and white supremacist? Does he literally have to say ‘white people are better than black people’? Does he have to say the N word?”

“At some point, it’s not a ‘racist comment,’” he tweeted. “It’s just a racist.”

In a tweet following the January 6 Capitol Riot, Bedoya called for Republican senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz to resign from their positions.

He also called ICE an “out-of-control domestic surveillance agency that peers into all our lives” and retweeted an August 2021 tweet calling Republican Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Tate Reeves of Mississippi “death eaters” over the coronavirus containment policies.

The conservative coalition’s letter to the senate calls Bedoya an “ideological, progressive ally,” warning that his confirmation “would give Chair Lina Khan an even freer hand in transforming the FTC, doing away with its rules, hamstringing businesses with red tape, and dismantling our market-driven economy.”

“Khan has come under criticism for pursuing a hyper-regulatory, anti-business agenda, dispensing with the FTC’s precedents and rules along the way,” the letter said, accusing Khan of “using the ‘zombie’ votes of former FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra after he no longer served on the Commission,” of decreasing transparency by “including public comments after votes are held,” stopping FTC staff from participating in public events, and more.

“As the Commission’s primary function is enforcement, Bedoya’s disregard and distaste for law enforcement functions is concerning,” the letter said.

“In terms of immigration and ‘sanctuary cities,’” Bedoya said, “I think it’s high time that state legislators understand that they can do something about this. … And already you’ve seen States like New York, like California, New Jersey, pass laws protecting their residents’ data, their residents’ faces from ICE.”

Bedoya also called for “a focus on political priorities in Biden’s stimulus package rather than support for law enforcement,” the letter said.

The conservative groups reference Bedoya’s attacks on conservatives, saying that he has a history of “personally attacking and supporting attacks on those he disagrees with.”

“He even liked a tweet disparaging Barron Trump,” the letter adds. “This type of aggressive rhetoric and behavior is inconsistent with the type of temperament required for a commissioner of the FTC.”

“Bedoya’s confirmation would jeopardize investment and innovation, threaten the already weakening economy, and bring never before seen partisanship to the FTC,” the letter concludes. “For these and other reasons, we urge Senators to reject Bedoya’s confirmation.

On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to break a deadlock in the Senate over Bedoya’s nomination.

Bedoya can now head to a confirmation vote, though he did not receive enough votes in the committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to be recommended favorably, lacking support from Republicans.

The Senate is not expected to vote on confirming Bedoya until after Easter break, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that he wishes to spend the upcoming week focused on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Schumer is expected to use the same procedural process, the discharge petition, that he used to advance Bedoya’s nomination to again bypass Republican opposition and advance Gigi Sohn, Biden’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nominee.

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