It’s unclear when US President Donald Trump could announce another pick to chair the CFTC amid a government shutdown with no end in sight.
The future leadership of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), already having faced four commissioner departures in 2025, hangs in the balance after the White House withdrew Brian Quintenz’s nomination.
On Tuesday, Quintenz, a former commissioner and head of policy at Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto division, confirmed that the White House had withdrawn his nomination as CFTC chair more than seven months after it was officially announced. The withdrawal came following reports suggesting that Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, both donors and supporters of US President Donald Trump, had been pressing the White House to reconsider Quintenz.
Even amid delays for consideration in the US Senate and reports of the Winklevosses’ opposition, many advocacy organizations for the crypto and blockchain industry continued to push for Trump to stick with Quintenz to lead the CFTC.
