Amy Klobuchar

The current chairman of the FTC says that the president has the authority to remove commissioners.

For months, Democrats have been struggling to coalesce behind a political strategy.

'We are just getting started'

Instead of caving to Trump’s threats, the U should stand tall and protect free speech.

President Trump on Tuesday fired Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter, the two Democrats serving as commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, both announced.The big picture: Republican FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has pledged to keep up Big Tech cases, but is taking a much more MAGA approach to antitrust, Axios previously reported.It's the latest in Trump's numerous attempts to weaken independent agencies, which he sees as standing in the way of his fast-moving MAGA agenda.What they're saying: "Today the President illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent," Slaughter said in an emailed statement.She wrote: "Why? Because I have a voice. And he is afraid of what I'll tell the American people.""The administration clearly fears the accountability that opposition voices would provide if the President orders Chairman Ferguson to treat the most powerful corporations and their executives—like those that flanked the President at his inauguration—with kid gloves."Bedoya said in a statement posted to his X account that Trump had fired him as well, calling it illegal."The President wants the FTC to be a lapdog for his golfing buddies. Who will Trump's FTC work for? Will it work for the billionaires or will it work for you?"Bedoya told Axios this sets a precedent for corruption, with decisions being impacted by the influence billionaire donors. He said he fears the FTC becomes like the DOJ, which threw out a case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams per Trump's request."What this does is open the door to corruption, plain and simple," he said. "I have been watching what's happening around us and wondering whether it would eventually come to FTC, and I think that's what's happened today."In a copy of Bedoya's firing email seen by Axios, Trent Morse, a deputy director of presidential personnel, writes on behalf of Trump that Bedoya is fired effectively immediately.In the email, Morse cites previous Supreme Court case Humphrey's Executor, arguing that the firings do not qualify as illegal under that case law because the FTC has "exercised substantial executive power.""Your continued service on the FTC is inconsistent with my Administration's policies. Accordingly, I am removing you from my office pursuant to my authority under Article II of the Constitution," the email reads.Sens. Maria Cantwell and Amy Klobuchar, who serve on committees that oversee the FTC, both blasted the firings."President Trump's dismissal of Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya is not only illegal but also hurts consumers by undermining an independent agency that Congress established to protect consumers from fraud, scams, and monopoly power," Klobuchar said in a statement.What to watch: Bedoya said he and Slaughter are still commissioners per their Senate-confirmed terms, and they plan to fight back in court.A spokesman for the FTC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson posted a statement on X saying he has "no doubts" about Trump's "constitutional authority to remove Commissioners."Editor's note: This story is developing and has been updated.If you need smart, quick intel on federal tech policy for your job, get Axios Pro Policy.

The U.S. must keep the promise it has made to refugees.

'Schumer faced widespread backlash from his colleagues'

Seventeen Democratic senators joined their Republican colleagues on Monday and voted to confirm Lori Chavez-DeRemer as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor.The Democrats who voted with the administration: Ruben Gallego (Arizona), Mark Kelly (Arizona), Adam Schiff (California), Michael Bennet (Colorado), John Hickenlooper (Colorado), Jon Ossoff (Georgia), Raphael Warnock (Georgia), Gary Peters (Michigan), Elissa Slotkin (Michigan), Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota), Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), Jacky Rosen (Nevada), Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island), Mark Warner (Virginia), and Tim Kaine (Virginia).Twenty-nine Democrats opposed the nomination and only three Republicans voted “no,” meaning that the nomination would have advanced with the 50 Republican “yes” votes even if every Democrat had voted “no.” Instead, the Democratic votes gave the majority party bipartisan cover. As labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer is expected to carry out Trump’s anti-labor, anti-worker agenda, like the ongoing purge of hundreds of vital government employees under Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.President Donald TrumpThe vote stands in contrast to the Democratic Party’s repeated claims that they are united in opposition to Trump and his agenda. In fact, at the Senate level, the party has voted again and again to confirm Trump’s nominees and has supported legislative maneuvers allowing votes on nominees that they oppose in a final vote.Despite warning signs like Trump’s past political and policy failures (see: his entire first term) and his racist, destructive rhetoric (see: his entire life), a significant portion of the Democratic Party has empowered him with their Senate votes. Then they eventually regret it. For instance, multiple senators have now gone on the record to say their votes to confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio (every Senate Democrat voted for him) was a mistake.The cover offered for Chavez-DeRemer is that her record is not as anti-labor as Trump’s, and that she made some statements during her confirmation hearing that offered a moderate stance on labor issues. (However, she does oppose a minimum-wage increase). But like Trump’s other nominees, such as Linda McMahon at the Department of Education and Sean Duffy at the Department of Transportation, Cabinet secretaries are ultimately tasked with executing Trump’s vision.Democrats have faltered in opposition to Trump. Party leadership has chastised a few breakaway members for being strident in speaking out against Trump’s abuses, and have favored a less confrontational approach even as Trump and Musk have thrown out decades of American traditions and values.Trump didn’t need the Democratic Party to install another friendly face in the federal government, but Democrats helped him anyway.Campaign Action

On Feb. 26, our federal government announced the termination of 5,800 USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) awards. Many of these awards are administered through Catholic Relief Services, the international humanitarian funding organization of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Democratic Vermont Sen. Peter Welch reintroduced a bill Friday to restore congressional funding to the United Nations' agency that employed terrorists who participated in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Trans women belong in our sport, current and former North Star Roller Derby skaters say.

President Donald Trump says 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada will start Tuesday, sparking renewed fears of a North American trade war.

If Trump’s policies are justifiable, why won’t Finstad and Fischbach defend them?

Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, seen at the Capitol in November 2023, is weighing a run for Senate. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The Trump administration, which has been moving like a juggernaut across the political landscape, has hit a land mine. The decision by Trump’s Justice Department to halt the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) has caused uproar. Adams had been due to stand trial in April on charges of bribery, wire fraud [...]

The total number of backers, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, comes just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to advance Kash Patel's nomination to lead the FBI.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer detailed Democrats' efforts to combat what he called a "coordinated assault" by President Trump.

Trump has named several people tied to Project 2025 to his administration, even after he disavowed the extreme policy agenda.

Trump has named several people tied to Project 2025 to his administration, even after he disavowed the extreme policy agenda.

Trump has long distanced himself from the controversial policy blueprint Project 2025, but is still taking steps that reflect its policy proposals.

President Donald Trump's appointment of Gail Slater as head of the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department will challenge Big Tech.

Despite their sacrifices, Trump appears to have lumped these allies into the greater pool of refugees to be kept out.

Brooke L. Rollins, the nominee to be Agriculture secretary, testifies during her Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 23.

The Trump administration must reverse a decision that left 1,600 Afghan allies stranded in limbo, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Patricia Lopez writes.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar had a tense exchange at Patel's confirmation hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI was grilled by Democrats while the GOP members made their broad support for him known.

Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, wouldn’t acknowledge or sought to distance himself from a host of his past public statements as Democrats pressed him during his confirmation hearing on Thursday. Democratic lawmakers cited numerous controversial statements Patel has made on podcasts and online, but Patel demurred at being associated with his [...]

There will be a lot on the plate for new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth when he steps into his office on the Pentagon’s third floor E Ring.

Many social media users noticed the gesture looked like a Nazi salute. Musk fanned the flames of suspicion by not explicitly denying those claims in a dozen posts since.

We live in a time where dishonesty, cruelty and violence are rewarded.

The pageantry and parties kick off this weekend with fireworks and a rally.

The 417 farm, agriculture and growers groups represent virtually "all aspects of American agriculture, food, nutrition and rural America."

An Architect of the Capitol worker spreads de-icer around the Capitol Reflecting Pool earlier this week, in advance of next week’s Inauguration ceremony at the Capitol.

The inauguration ceremony will take place in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol Building, where he will officially be crowned the 47th president of the United States.

American Idol winner, and Grammy-award-winning artist Carrie Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful” alongside the Armed Forces Chorus and the Naval Academy Glee Club

Other choirs and performers were also listed in the program

Our children are drowning emotionally, and we’re standing on the shore, reacting only when they go under.

A bill to officially designate the bald eagle as the national bird will head to President Biden’s desk after passage in the House on Monday. While the bald eagle has been a major national symbol since the Second Continental Congress in 1782 put the bird on the Great Seal of the United States, it has [...]

Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, seen here in May, this week described an agency that has worked to address the failings of Jan. 6, 2021, and now turns to other threats.

'Very rare'

Congress should act this year to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Four members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation are part of a commendable coalition pushing for swift passage.

Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time.

Three regional U.S. senators are among those emphasizing the need for the nation’s top law enforcement agency to continue vetting presidential cabinet picks.

To paraphrase an old saying, never interrupt your opponents when they appear intent on making a mistake. That does not mean, of course, that we should not try to understand [...]The post Democratic Voters Show Who They Want to Run in 2028: Republicans Should Be Thrilled appeared first on The Western Journal.

Harris’s rhetoric was strong: “When We Fight, We Win,” she repeated. And that’s true. A woman has not been elected president in the United States (yet), but her efforts go into the presidential bank and every woman who has ever run for president or held an office that was previously all male, has contributed to that bank.

Election Day has passed, but state officials still have important steps ahead to verify the final vote tally. The process this year has changed due to reforms.

The Minnesotan nominated for secretary of defense would face “the most daunting geostrategic environment” in the postwar era.

Vice President Harris’s defeat in last week’s presidential election raises a thorny dilemma for Democrats as they look ahead to future election cycles, including the 2028 presidential race. Twice in the past three presidential elections, Democrats have nominated a woman. Both times, they have lost. The sole Democratic victor in those three elections was President [...]

I want to express my gratitude to Sen. Amy Klobuchar for her leadership in cofounding the newly launched bipartisan Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus. This initiative builds on the momentum created just a few months ago with the establishment of the Congressional Sustainable Aviation Caucus in the House, where Reps. Angie Craig and Brad Finstad were founding members. These collaborative efforts underscore a shared commitment to advancing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as both a climate solution and a boost to our economy.