The Trump administration has nominated four people to leadership positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to nominations sent to the Senate on November 12.
For the SEC, the nominees are Kristin N. Johnson from Michigan and Steven Levine from Maryland. Johnson, a Democrat, has been nominated for the seat previously held by Caroline Crenshaw, whose term expired. Levine would replace Hester Peirce, who led the SEC's Crypto Task Force before her term ended.
The CFTC nominees are Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland. Anonick is a Republican who currently serves as legislative counsel to Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman and worked as a lead negotiator on the agriculture portion of the CLARITY Act. Rowland is a Democrat who served as a CFTC detailee and worked on the CLARITY Act negotiations.
Johnson previously served as a CFTC commissioner and championed rules around crypto custody and decentralized finance. Levine was part of President Trump's Council of Economic Advisors and served as deputy chief of staff to SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda.
The Senate Banking Committee has scheduled a hearing for Johnson and Levine on November 19. Senate Republican leaders reportedly want the nominees to clear committee by November 20 to be included in a year-end confirmation package during the lame duck session, creating a tight timeline before Democrats take control of Congress.
The CLARITY Act, which these nominees helped negotiate, stalled in the Senate in September and failed to advance. With Democrats set to control both chambers of Congress, prospects for crypto-focused legislation face an uncertain path forward.
