Four US crypto regulation nominees face a Senate vote crunch before January

President Donald Trump has nominated Steven Levine to succeed Hester Peirce at the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing one of the agency’s leading crypto advocates. Levine is among four nominees for roles shaping US crypto regulation whom the White House named Thursday, with Senate confirmation required before any can take office.

Key takeaways

• Trump selected two Republicans and two Democrats for SEC and CFTC vacancies.
• The SEC has two commissioners; the CFTC has just one.
• Democrats take over the Senate in January, narrowing Republicans’ confirmation window.

Four nominees for agencies overseeing US crypto regulation

The White House selected Levine and Kristin Johnson for the SEC, and Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Each agency has five commissioner seats, several of which are vacant.

Levine, a Republican, was nominated for a term ending June 5, 2030. Peirce left the SEC in October after her term expired. Johnson, a Democrat and former CFTC commissioner, would fill the seat formerly occupied by Caroline Crenshaw, whose term also expired. Johnson’s proposed term ends June 5, 2029.

The SEC currently has only Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda. At the CFTC, Chairman Michael Selig is the sole commissioner.

The CFTC selections pair Republican Nathan Anonick with Democrat Matthew Rowland. Selig welcomed them as “two strong bipartisan picks” and said he looked forward to working with them after confirmation.

Crypto advocacy, customer protections and legislative experience

The nominees bring experience spanning securities regulation, customer protections and congressional work on cryptocurrency legislation. Both CFTC candidates worked on the Clarity Act.

Levine previously served as counsel and deputy chief of staff to Uyeda before taking a senior legal role at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. His proposed predecessor, Hester Peirce, pushed for clearer crypto rules and formerly headed the SEC’s Crypto Task Force.

Johnson served at the CFTC until 2025. During her tenure, she advocated stronger customer safeguards and rules addressing conflicts of interest at crypto firms.

Anonick works with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman’s staff and participated in negotiations on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Rowland, a CFTC attorney, has worked with that committee, previously served on Johnson’s staff and participated in congressional discussions about crypto legislation.

Senate review before January’s change in control

The nominees for posts influencing US crypto regulation face committee review and a majority vote in the full Senate. SEC candidates typically appear before the Senate Banking Committee; CFTC candidates go before the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The committees can hold confirmation hearings and vote on advancing the nominations. Republicans retain their Senate majority for the remaining weeks of the congressional session, leaving a narrow window to confirm Trump’s selections before control changes.

In the midterm elections held on November 3, Democrats claimed majorities in both chambers of Congress. Republican dominance of the House and Senate will come to a close when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027.

Article produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.