President Donald Trump’s top consumer protection official is promising stronger action against online scams, hidden subscription charges and deceptive corporate practices, even as staffing reductions and political changes raise questions about the Federal Trade Commission’s ability to police some of America’s largest companies.
Chris Mufarrige has led the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection since February 2025. The bureau investigates fraud, misleading advertising, privacy violations, illegal billing practices and other conduct that can financially harm consumers. Before taking the position, Mufarrige worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during Trump’s first administration and later served as chief of staff to FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak.
Mufarrige argues that consumers should judge the administration by its enforcement record rather than by criticism that Trump generally favors reduced regulation.
During his tenure, the FTC has pursued or settled cases involving major companies accused of misleading customers, making subscriptions difficult to cancel or failing to disclose important charges. Recent actions include a proposed $35 million settlement with Shutterstock over allegedly deceptive subscription and cancellation practices and a $2.25 million civil penalty involving Amazon’s handling of transaction records requested by identity-theft victims. The companies resolved the allegations without those settlements necessarily amounting to admissions of every claim.
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The agency has also continued a case launched under the previous administration against Deere & Company. A July settlement requires the farm-equipment manufacturer to provide farmers and independent technicians with repair resources comparable to those available to authorized dealers, including software needed to diagnose problems, reset error codes and install electronic components.
For consumers, Mufarrige’s most important challenge may be the rapid growth of online fraud.
FTC data show that people reported losing approximately $2.1 billion to scams that began on social media in 2025, eight times the reported total in 2020. Facebook accounted for more reported losses than any other social media platform, followed by WhatsApp and Instagram. Investment schemes were responsible for more than half of the reported social media losses.
Mufarrige has argued that technology companies cannot always describe themselves as passive platforms when they sell and distribute advertisements that lead consumers to fraudulent businesses or impersonation schemes. The FTC is examining how platforms interact with advertisers and whether existing consumer protection law can be used when users suffer measurable financial harm.
The agency is also increasing its attention to children, teenagers, age-verification systems and the ways artificial intelligence products interact with younger users. Mufarrige has indicated that additional public action in those areas could emerge after ongoing investigations are completed.
However, consumer advocates question whether enforcement announcements tell the entire story.
The FTC was created as a five-member bipartisan commission, but Trump removed Democratic commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya in 2025. In June 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that the statutory restriction allowing commissioners to be removed only for specific causes violated constitutional separation-of-powers principles. The decision strengthened presidential control over the agency and reduced the independence that Congress had originally attempted to give it.
Supporters of the ruling argue that federal agencies exercising significant executive power should remain accountable to an elected president. Critics warn that companies with political influence could receive more favorable treatment when presidents have greater authority to remove regulators who disagree with administration policy.
Staffing presents another concern. The Trump administration has reduced employment across much of the federal government, and FTC leadership previously announced plans to cut the agency’s workforce while maintaining that essential competition and consumer protection cases would continue. Fewer lawyers, economists, investigators and technology specialists could make it harder to pursue complex cases involving powerful corporations with extensive legal resources.
The bureau director also does not act alone. FTC staff can investigate companies and recommend enforcement, but major cases, settlements and policy decisions generally require approval from the commission. That means Mufarrige’s effectiveness depends not only on his priorities but also on the agency’s staffing, budget, legal authority and willingness to pursue companies that may have political connections.
Mufarrige’s approach differs from the more expansive philosophy associated with the Biden-era FTC. He says consumer law should preserve informed choice rather than block products simply because regulators believe they are expensive or undesirable. Under that view, a high-priced product is not necessarily a consumer protection violation when its costs and conditions are clearly disclosed.
The harder question is what happens when companies use confusing interfaces, hidden fees, misleading advertisements or difficult cancellation procedures to prevent customers from making genuinely informed decisions. Those are the cases in which the FTC’s authority under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act remains most important.
Why It Matters
FTC enforcement can determine whether consumers receive refunds, whether subscription services must provide easier cancellation options and whether online platforms face consequences for allowing fraudulent advertising.
The agency’s decisions also affect businesses. Strong enforcement can protect legitimate companies from competitors that gain an advantage through deception, while unclear or politically selective regulation can create uncertainty and undermine confidence in the marketplace.
What Comes Next
The FTC is expected to announce additional enforcement measures involving online fraud, subscriptions, privacy and technology platforms. Consumer advocates will watch whether those cases target politically connected businesses as aggressively as other companies.
Congress may also examine the agency’s staffing and budget, while the Supreme Court’s ruling on commissioner removals will continue reshaping how independently the FTC can operate under future presidents.
The FTC is also examining age-verification technologies as part of its broader consumer protection work.
And…we’re live! Agenda, papers, and biographies: https://t.co/wCIGBpX2VE #AgeVerifyFTC
— FTC (@FTC) January 28, 2026
