February 15, 2026 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, has issued the following statement after President Trump announced the nominations of two Republicans to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). This follows Donald Trump’s refusal to nominate a Democrat to a seat made vacant over one year ago by his firing of Ellen Weintraub, whom he illegally fired after she spoke truthfully about foreign election interference and Trump’s corruption:
“Donald Trump illegally fired Ellen Weintraub in retaliation for speaking the truth about foreign election interference and corruption in his first term. Trump has since issued unlawful executive orders aimed at seizing control of our elections and dismantling the independence of agencies like the FEC. This capricious move to nominate only Republicans to the traditionally bipartisan FEC — while ignoring the open Democratic seat — undermines the independence of our elections institutions and shows, once again, that he is attempting to tilt the scales in his favor.
“Congress created the FEC following the Watergate scandal as an independent watchdog for the American people — not to protect Donald Trump. The White House must immediately submit a bipartisan slate of nominees to the FEC, and the Senate must thoroughly evaluate whether each nominee is prepared to uphold the law and protect the integrity of our democracy.”
As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with jurisdiction over the Federal Election Commission, Senator Padilla is a leader in the fight for campaign finance reform. He is a lead cosponsor of Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-N.H.) constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s misguided and destructive Citizens United v. FEC decision, which removed campaign finance restrictions and enabled organizations to spend unlimited money to influence elections. Last year, Senator Padilla denounced the illegal firing of FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub and led 10 Democratic Senators to demand President Trump rescind his attempt to fire her. Last month, Padilla joined several Democratic colleagues on the floor to mark the anniversary of the Citizens United decision and call to take back our democracy from the unlimited influence of billionaire donors.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla
