FTC Testifies Before Senate Committee About Consumer Protection Efforts

April 18, 2026 / Richard B. Newman

On April 15, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation today to highlight the agency’s accomplishments in the last year and a half and its ongoing work to protect consumers and promote competition on behalf of the American people.

The foregoing reflects the agency’s continued work in support of the Trump-Vance administration’s pro‑consumer, pro‑competition agenda, which prioritizes lower costs, fair markets and accountability across the economy.

FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson testified at the hearing along with Commissioner Mark R. Meador and outlined the FTC’s priorities and recent achievements on behalf of consumers, workers and businesses.  This includes staff preparations for the enforcement of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which is set to go into effect on May 19.  The Act, which was signed into law last year by President Trump, protects the victims of online abuse and exploitation by requiring, among other things, online platforms to take down non-consensual intimate images.

As part of the agency’s broad mandate to protect consumers, the FTC has “worked to combat deceptive fees that drive up costs in areas ranging from automobiles, online food delivery, concert tickets and online subscriptions.”  The Commission is also attending to consumer privacy rights, illegal robocalls and telemarketing scams.

The testimony also showcased the FTC’s “ongoing fight against anticompetitive practices in the marketplace.”  This included a renewed focus on preserving competition in the healthcare market through the creation of a Healthcare Task Force designed to ensure healthcare is available, affordable and effective for the American people.

The Commission has also taken action to “protect workers from anticompetitive labor practices such as unreasonable noncompete agreements, no-hire provisions and DEI collusion.”

Richard B. Newman is an FTC advertising compliance and defense attorney at Hinch Newman LLP. 

Informational purposes only. Not legal advice. This article is not intended to and should not be construed as legal advice. May be considered attorney advertising.

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Richard B. Newman

Richard B. Newman is a nationally recognized FTC advertising compliance, CID investigation and regulatory enforcemetn attorney. He regularly provides advertising counsel and represents clients in high-profile investigations and enforcement proceedings initiated by the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, departments of consumer affairs, and other federal and state agencies with jurisdiction over advertising and marketing practices. Richard is also an ecommerce lawyer and spam defense attorney. His practice additionally focuses upon false advertising defense, data privacy, cybersquatting, intellectual property law and transactional matters relating to the dissemination of national advertising campaigns, including the gamut of affiliate marketing, telemarketing, lead generation, list management and licensing agreements. Richard advises clients on how to minimize the legal risks associated with digital marketing, email marketing, telemarketing, social media influencer campaigns, endorsements and testimonials, negative option marketing models, native advertising, online promotions and comparative advertising,

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