The Federal Election Commision, the agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws, is again without enough members to take official action after a Republican commissioner announced his departure on Wednesday.
The agency is paralyzed without a quorum and cannot vote on things like the outcomes of investigations, citing committees for campaign finance violations, and issuing advisory opinions or guidance for campaigns.
Allen Dickerson, who was confirmed to the FEC in 2020, is the second commissioner to willingly depart the agency this year, following Republican Sean Cooksey’s resignation in January. President Donald Trump also sought to fire Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat, in February. She publicly contended that the firing was illegal, but has not participated in recent commission votes and is no longer listed on the agency’s website. The FEC has six commissioner spots, and four is required for a quorum, but Dickerson’s departure leaves the agency with just three commissioners.
Dickerson and the three remaining commissioners — Trey Trainor, Dara Lindenbaum and Shana Broussard — voted on several matters in Wednesday’s agency meeting before Dickerson announced his resignation.
“It’s difficult to remember the commission we inherited in 2020. Years of entrenchment and recrimination had badly hobbled this organization,” Dickerson told colleagues on Wednesday, adding he was proud of his work on the commission in at-times emotional remarks.
The FEC has lost quorum before — first in 2008, and then again twice during Trump’s first presidency. The lack of commissioners during Trump’s first presidency contributed to a significant backlog in cases before the commission, which commissioners worked through after returning to a quorum.
FEC commissioners are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Trump has not announced any new commissioner appointments in his term so far. By law, neither party can have more than three commissioners. Trainor is a Republican, and Lindenbaum and Broussard are Democrats.
Outside watchdogs warned in advance of Wednesday’s meeting that losing quorum would damage enforcement of campaign finance laws.
“Without a quorum, the FEC is a watchdog without a bark or bite,” said Michael Beckel, senior research director at Issue One, a nonprofit focused on money in politics. “Losing its quorum defangs the FEC at a time when the robust scrutiny of money in politics is needed more than ever.”
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