U.S. Senate votes to move forward with Alvaro Bedoya's nomination to the FTC
Bedoya will give Democrats a majority at the FTC if confirmed
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The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to advance to a confirmation vote for President Biden's nominee to the Federal Trade Commission, privacy advocate and Georgetown University law professor Alvaro Bedoya.
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee was deadlocked 14-14 on Bedoya's nomination, but the full Senate voted 51-50 on Wednesday with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.
The U.S. Senate voted to move forward with Alvaro Bedoya's nomination to the FTC on Wednesday. (Georgetown Law)
If confirmed, Bedoya will give Democrats a majority at the FTC, which enforces federal consumer protection and antitrust laws.
"Without Mr. Bedoya, the FTC and members are left handicapped and incapable of moving forward, so today's motion to discharge is a matter of immense importance and I hope all my colleagues who care about fighting inflation and price manipulation vote to proceed with Mr. Bedoya's nomination," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor before the vote.
Bedoya, the Director of Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology, previously worked as chief counsel to a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy.
His research has focused on consumer privacy, facial recognition technology, and surveillance.
FTC Commissioner nominee Lina M. Khan testifies during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 21, 2021. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS)
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The current chair of the FTC, Lina Khan, is an outspoken critic of Big Tech and is spearheading the agency's antitrust lawsuit against Facebook, alleging that the social media giant suppressed competition with a "buy or bury" strategy.