Trump nominates four candidates for SEC and CFTC commissioner seats

By Nathan Brooks

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated four people for potential commissioner positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to the White House’s website. It was his first round of nominations to the two agencies since 2025.

Trump recommended former CFTC Commissioner Kristin Johnson and attorney Steven Levine for the SEC, and Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland for the CFTC. The choices target existing vacancies, but none can serve without a favorable Senate vote.

The immediate staffing context is thin. Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, both agencies have operated with limited commissioner slates. The SEC currently has Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda; former Commissioner Hester Peirce’s term expired, and she left the agency a few weeks ago.

The CFTC has only Chairman Mike Selig as its sole commissioner. Both agencies can have up to five commissioners overall and were typically staffed by bipartisan commissioners. Their responsibilities cover parts of the crypto markets and the wider U.S. financial system.

The White House slate appears bipartisan. The nominees bring a mix of current committee staff, agency personnel and prior public-service experience:

• Kristin Johnson served as a CFTC commissioner until last year and now stands for an SEC seat.
• Steven Levine is described as a Department of Labor attorney and a former SEC counselor. He also held roles at George Washington University’s Law School and the White House Council on Economic Affairs.
• Nathan Anonick works for the Senate Agriculture Committee’s majority staff, according to his LinkedIn profile.
• Matthew Rowland is a CFTC attorney detailed to the Agriculture Committee and previously served on Johnson’s staff, according to his LinkedIn profile.

If the Senate confirms all four, the SEC roster would rise from two of five commissioner positions, or 40% of capacity, to four, or 80%. The CFTC would rise from one, or 20%, to three, or 60%. Both boards would remain below full capacity, leaving one SEC seat and two CFTC seats vacant.

What does this change for crypto market participants?

For market participants, the immediate change concerns agency composition, not an announced shift in crypto rules. The SEC and CFTC retain their oversight roles while the vacancies remain open. Until the Senate votes, the existing leadership stays in place, and the nominees cannot exercise authority.

After confirmation, the additions would give each regulator more members to consider crypto-market questions and its broader financial-market remit. That means a larger pool of commissioners for policy work, not an automatic change in enforcement priorities.

The White House announcement provides no nominee-specific agenda or enforcement timetable, and it states no committee or floor-vote dates. Practitioners should distinguish a nomination from an operative policy decision.

The next concrete milestone is committee action. The Senate Agriculture Committee must approve Anonick and Rowland before the full Senate votes on the CFTC nominees. The Senate Banking Committee must approve Johnson and Levine before the full Senate considers the SEC nominees. The Senate is currently in a lame-duck session after last week’s election.

No hearing or vote dates are specified, leaving the confirmation timetable unresolved. The agencies’ market-facing composition will change only after those votes; until then, the existing commissions retain their current authority.