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Departments & agencies

Federal Election Commission

FEC CommissionsContested removal
At a glance
Type
Independent regulatory commissions
Removal of leadership
Removal protection contested
Appointed by
Members appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate
Structure
6-member commission · led by the Chair
Term
6-year term · staggered · party-balanced
Funding
Annual appropriations
Independence
Independent
FECA (52 U.S.C. 30106) contains NO express for-cause removal clause; the FEC has long been treated as an independent agency removable only for cause, an understanding rooted in its multi-member partisan-balanced structure and Buckley v. Valeo's separation-of-powers reasoning. The presidential removal power over such commissioners is contested: in Jan/Feb 2025 Trump purported to remove FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub, who disputed the move's legality. The Supreme Court's broader removal-power case is Trump v. Slaughter (argued Dec. 8, 2025) -- which concerns an FTC commissioner (Rebecca Slaughter) and whether to overrule Humphrey's Executor, NOT the FEC directly, though its outcome would bear on FEC commissioners' protection.
What it does

The FEC administers and enforces the federal campaign finance law that governs money in U.S. presidential and congressional elections. It requires candidates, parties, and political committees to disclose their donors and spending, sets and polices contribution limits, and oversees the public funding program for presidential campaigns. Six commissioners (no more than three from one party) must agree by at least four votes to take enforcement action.

ElectionsCampaign FinanceEthics
How it fits
U.S. ConstitutionFederal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended by the Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974 (which created the Commission) (1974)FECRules & actions

Created by Congress under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended by the Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974 (which created the Commission) (Pub. L. 93-443; 52 U.S.C. Sec. 30106), it acts within the authority that statute grants. Its actions are subject to judicial review and to congressional oversight and funding.

Recent actions

Price Index Adjustments for Contribution and Expenditure Limitations and Lobbyist Bundling Disclosure ThresholdMarch 3, 2026
Federal Election Commission
Sunshine Act MeetingsOctober 1, 2025
Federal Election Commission
Sunshine Act MeetingsOctober 1, 2025
Federal Election Commission
Sunshine Act MeetingsOctober 1, 2025
Federal Election Commission
Sunshine Act MeetingsOctober 1, 2025
Federal Election Commission
Sunshine Act MeetingsOctober 1, 2025
Federal Election Commission
Sunshine Act MeetingsSeptember 19, 2025
Federal Election Commission
Sunshine Act MeetingsSeptember 19, 2025
Federal Election Commission
View all actions on the Federal Register