The vice chair of the Federal Election Commission, the federal agency charged with enforcing campaign finance laws, will resign from his post after five years with the agency, he confirmed Thursday, leaving just two commissioners behind as the agency nears five month without quorum.
James E. “Trey” Trainor III told the Washington Examiner that he would step down from his seat early next month and is “seriously evaluating” a bid for the House seat left vacant by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). His departure lands yet another blow to the FEC after another three commissioners left their roles earlier this year.
“It has been an honor to serve in this role since President Trump appointed me in 2020, despite the long confirmation process that began in 2017,” Trainor told the Examiner. A spokesperson for the agency acknowledged a request for comment and forwarded it to Trainor’s staff, but he did not immediately respond.
Trump tapped Trainor — a Republican lawyer who represented Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign — for the FEC in 2017, and his nomination stalled in the Senate until 2020. Democratic senators grilled Trainor in his confirmation hearings, as he refused to commit to a “blanket” recusal from issues involving the president once confirmed.
Trainor’s confirmation allowed the FEC to reach quorum in 2020 — the last time the agency went undermanned.
In February, President Donald Trump ousted Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, which she contended was illegal. Trainor was the last Republican commissioner serving; Sean Cooksey left the commission and took a role in the vice president’s office in January, while Allen Dickerson stepped down from his seat in April, ending the quorum on the commission.
Trainor’s retirement now leaves four of the FEC’s six seats vacant, with just two Democrats remaining. Neither party by law can have more than three commissioners presiding over the agency, and the agency needs four commissioners to conduct business.
While FEC commissioners are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, Trump has not tapped anyone to fill the seats in his second term.
As the FEC careens into its fifth month without a quorum, its operations remain stalled — blocking commissioners from voting on campaign guidance, outcomes of investigations and citing committees for campaign finance violations.
Watchdogs have warned of the fallout from the FEC losing its quorum, saying it would harm the enforcement of campaign finance laws.
“Without a quorum, the FEC is a watchdog without a bark or bite,” Michael Beckel, a senior research director at nonprofit Issue One, told POLITICO earlier this year. “Losing its quorum defangs the FEC at a time when the robust scrutiny in politics is needed more than ever.”
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