On November 12, 2026, President Donald Trump nominated four individuals to the SEC and CFTC, making his first appointments to the agencies in over a year. The bipartisan slate includes Republicans Steven Levine and Nathan Anonick alongside Democrats Kristin Johnson and Matthew Rowland. The picks address major vacancies, as the SEC has only two members and CFTC Chairman Mike Selig serves as sole commissioner. All four nominees require Senate confirmation before taking office.
Details of the proposed nominations
- ▪On November 12, 2026, President Donald Trump nominated four individuals to the SEC and CFTC, marking his administration's first appointments for both financial regulatory agencies in roughly a year
- ▪The White House proposed SEC terms ending in June 2029 for Kristin Johnson and June 5, 2030 for Steven Levine, alongside CFTC terms ending in June 2031 for Nathan Anonick and April 2028 for Matthew Rowland
- ▪President Donald Trump nominated former CFTC Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson and attorney Steven Levine to serve as SEC commissioners, and Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland as CFTC commissioners
Bipartisan composition of the nominees
- ▪President Donald Trump's four regulatory appointments are evenly divided by party, nominating Republicans Steven Levine and Nathan Anonick alongside Democrats Kristin N. Johnson and Matthew Rowland
- ▪President Donald Trump had not previously nominated any Democratic candidates to the SEC or CFTC since taking office in January 2025
Current vacancies at the agencies
- ▪CFTC Chairman Mike Selig currently serves as the agency's sole commissioner, leaving four vacant commissioner seats on the five-member oversight board
- ▪Steven Levine was nominated to succeed former SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, while Kristin N. Johnson was nominated for the SEC seat previously held by Caroline Crenshaw
- ▪The SEC operates with only two sitting members, Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda, following the departure of Hester Peirce on October 2, 2026 after her term expired
Backgrounds of the regulatory nominees
- ▪Former CFTC Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson focused on cryptocurrency regulations, addressing custody requirements, decentralized finance, artificial intelligence, and market integrity during her previous regulatory tenure
- ▪CFTC nominees Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland both worked on congressional drafting and negotiations for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act while working with the Senate Agriculture Committee
Senate confirmation process and timeline
- ▪Nominations that fail to receive a Senate confirmation vote before the current congressional session ends on January 3, 2027 will be returned to President Donald Trump
- ▪All four nominees require Senate confirmation, with the Senate Banking Committee set to review SEC nominees Kristin Johnson and Steven Levine, while the Senate Agriculture Committee considers CFTC nominees Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland
- ▪Trump's SEC and CFTC nominations were submitted during a post-election Senate lame-duck session following the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, which awarded Democrats future control of both congressional chambers starting January 3, 2027
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