Created in 1914 as one of the Progressive Era's signature reforms. It shares antitrust authority with DOJ, runs the National Do Not Call Registry, and its consumer-protection orders bind companies for decades.
Open the interactive page for FTC →Created byFederal Trade Commission Act of 1914 (38 Stat. 717)
Head appointed15 U.S.C. § 41: President appoints 5 commissioners, Senate consent, 7-yr terms, max 3 from one party; President chooses the Chairman from among the members (Reorganization Plan No. 8 of 1950) (PAS)
Removal standardfor cause: 'inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office' (15 U.S.C. § 41) — upheld in Humphrey's Executor v. United States, 295 U.S. 602 (1935); whether it survives is the question presented in Trump v. Slaughter (argued Dec. 8, 2025; decision expected June 2026)
Funded underFinancial Services and General Government appropriations act, partially offset by Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger filing fees (15 U.S.C. § 18a note; P.L. 101-162 § 605) and Do-Not-Call registry fees
Congressional oversightHouse Energy and Commerce · Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Inspector generalown OIG (designated federal entity under IG Act — IG appointed by the agency head)
Judicial reviewCease-and-desist orders reviewed in courts of appeals, 15 U.S.C. § 45(c); Magnuson-Moss trade-regulation rules reviewed in courts of appeals, 15 U.S.C. § 57a(e); structural constitutional challenges may proceed directly in district court (Axon Enterprise v. FTC, 598 U.S. 175 (2023))
Report scams at reportfraud.ftc.gov; comment on proposed rules; attend the FTC's open commission meetings, which include public-comment slots.
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