• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, Yesterday

Former Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, one of two Democrats ousted by President Donald Trump in March, has officially resigned from the agency.

Bedoya plans to continue with a lawsuit challenging the firing as unlawful, but is no longer seeking reinstatement.

“For personal reasons, I can no longer afford to go without any source of income for my family,” Bedoya stated in a declaration filed Monday with U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan in Washington, D.C.

“Serving as an FTC commissioner is a dream job. But my number one job is to take care of my family,” he added in a statement posted on social media.

He elaborated that ethics rules would limit his ability to accept other work while serving on the FTC.

Bedoya's resignation comes three months after Trump fired Commissioners Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter.

Both claimed Trump's move was unlawful and sued for reinstatement, arguing that a president can only fire an FTC commissioner for three reasons set out by Congress -- inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.

They sought judicial declaration that their firing was illegal, and an order reinstating them to the commission -- which Congress established as an independent five-member body, with each member appointed for a term of seven years and removable only for cause.

Bedoya plans to continue as a plaintiff in the case, and is seeking backpay.

Bedoya was confirmed by the Senate in 2022 and his term wasn't set to expire until September 25, 2026. Slaughter joined the FTC in 2018, and was confirmed for a second time in March 2024. Her term wasn't slated to expire until September 2029.

They recently urged AliKhan to rule in their favor, arguing that Supreme Court precedent is on their side. They specifically pointed to the Supreme Court's 1935 decision in a case known as Humphrey's Executor, which involved President Franklin Roosevelt's attempt to fire an FTC commissioner. The court ruled in that matter that Roosevelt lacked authority to dismiss an FTC member except for the grounds set out by Congress.

The Justice Department countered in a recent court filing that today's FTC wields greater power than it did 90 years ago, when the Supreme Court limited the president's ability to fire a member of that agency.