Trump nominates two candidates to restore CFTC quorum after long vacancies
Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland would join Chairman Michael Selig if confirmed by the Senate
Key Takeaways
- President Trump nominated Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland to the CFTC on 12 November 2026.
- If confirmed by the Senate, the appointments would give the five-member commission three sitting commissioners, including Chair Michael Selig.
- The CFTC has operated with a single commissioner since Caroline Pham stepped down and Selig became chair on 22 December 2025.
- Rowland is a longtime CFTC attorney credited on the agency’s 2019 Enforcement Manual; Anonick is counsel to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman.
President Donald Trump nominated two commissioners to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on 12 November 2026, naming Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland. If the Senate confirms both, the CFTC would have three sitting commissioners — including Chairman Michael Selig — ending a period when the agency operated with a single commissioner.
Who was nominated and when
The White House announced the nominations on November 12, 2026. Nathan Anonick is professional staff and counsel to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.), where he led the committee majority’s work on CFTC and derivatives policy after joining the committee in 2022. Matthew Rowland is a longtime CFTC attorney who served as a general attorney at the agency from at least 2015 through 2025 and previously worked in the Division of Enforcement.
Both nominees have congressional committee experience during the 118th Congress: Rowland served on the Democratic majority staff of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Anonick on the Republican minority staff.
How confirmation would change the commission
If confirmed, the two appointments would raise the five-member commission to three sitting commissioners, with two vacancies remaining. The CFTC last had all five commissioners on February 7, 2025, when former Chairman Rostin Behnam departed. Commissioners Summer Mersinger and Christy Goldsmith Romero left on May 31, 2025, leaving Caroline Pham and Kristin Johnson. Kristin Johnson departed on September 3, 2025, and Caroline Pham served as acting chair from January 2025 until she stepped down. Michael Selig became chair on December 22, 2025.
The nominations follow bipartisan concern about the long vacancy stretch. In May 2026, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and ranking member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) urged President Trump to nominate a full commission, arguing broader representation would strengthen the regulator. The White House said in July 2026 that Democrats had not provided recommendations for vacant seats at the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office later said it had submitted names that month.
Actions taken while the CFTC operated with a single commissioner
Chairman Michael Selig made consequential decisions without a full commission. In February 2026 the agency withdrew a proposed ban on certain political and sports event contracts. The CFTC advanced a prediction market rulemaking agenda that included an October 2026 proposal to explicitly classify sports, political, cultural and weather event contracts as swaps. The agency has also sued the state of Utah over its restrictions on federally regulated prediction markets and issued an interpretation of impartial-access requirements that could limit exchanges’ geographic trading restrictions. These regulatory moves are discussed in greater depth in our regulation coverage.
Background on the nominees and remaining vacancies
Rowland was credited as an author of the CFTC’s 2019 Enforcement Manual and is a Yale Law School graduate. Anonick previously worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as a resolution policy specialist and at a financial-services advocacy and advisory firm before his congressional career. The nominees would fill seats previously held by Rostin Behnam and Summer Mersinger. The White House did not announce candidates for the CFTC’s two remaining vacancies. The same November 12 announcement also included two nominees for the Securities and Exchange Commission: former CFTC Commissioner Kristin Johnson and Steven Levine, both of whom would require Senate confirmation. The White House release was posted alongside other market developments in our news section.
"If both appointments are confirmed, the five-member commission would have three sitting commissioners," the White House release said on November 12, 2026.
The nomination package now moves to the Senate for consideration; timing and hearings have not been announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did President Trump nominate to the CFTC on 12 November 2026?
President Trump nominated Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland on 12 November 2026. The White House named both in a release on that date alongside two SEC nominees.
What roles would the nominees fill if confirmed?
If the Senate confirms both nominees, the CFTC would have three sitting commissioners, including Chairman Michael Selig. The five-member commission would still have two vacancies remaining.
What is Matthew Rowland’s background at the CFTC?
Matthew Rowland served as a general attorney at the CFTC from at least 2015 through 2025 and previously worked in the Division of Enforcement. He was among the attorneys credited with developing the CFTC’s 2019 Enforcement Manual.
What is Nathan Anonick’s experience prior to nomination?
Nathan Anonick serves as professional staff and counsel to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.), joined the committee in 2022, and previously worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and at a financial-services advocacy and advisory firm.
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About the author
Tessa Coleman
Betting Markets Correspondent
Tessa Coleman covers betting products and markets — sportsbook launches, odds and trading technology, and the fast-growing prediction-market space from regulated exchanges to event contracts. The stories lead with the product or the ruling, name the operators and platforms precisely, and translate trading jargon into what bettors can actually do. When a book reworks its pricing or a prediction market wins a license fight, Tessa Coleman explains the mechanics and the stakes.
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