By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate late on Thursday confirmed by voice vote two nominees to fill Republican slots at the Federal Trade Commission.
President Joe Biden in July nominated Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson and Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak to the five-member FTC.
The two Republicans will not change the balance of power at the FTC, which enforces antitrust law and rules against deceptive advertising, and currently has a Democratic chair, Lina Khan, and two Democratic commissioners.
The Senate also on Thursday approved a new term for Democratic FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. The FTC has been without a Republican commissioner for nearly a year.
Under the Biden administration, the FTC has taken a tougher stand against mergers it finds may lead to higher prices for consumers or stunt innovation.
Last month, the FTC sued supermarket chain to block Kroger (NYSE:KR)'s $24.6 billion deal to buy smaller rival Albertsons (NYSE:ACI), saying it would boost grocery prices for millions of Americans.
In September, the FTC filed a long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), accusing the online retailer of operating an illegal monopoly, in part by fighting efforts by sellers on its online marketplace to offer products more cheaply on other platforms. Trial is set for October 2026.
In January, Amazon and robot vacuum maker iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) ended their plans to merge in the face of opposition from EU antitrust regulators and the FTC.
Ferguson was chief counsel to U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell from 2019 until 2021. He has also worked for Senators Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley.
Holyoak has previously worked as an associate at the law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP, and at Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, which focuses on fighting class action lawsuits and aggressive regulation, as well as at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Center for Class Action Fairness.