U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown urging the Government Accountability Office to review staffing cuts at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and their effect on the agency’s enforcement capacity and broader derivatives market mandate. The letter argues that the CFTC may no longer be equipped to enforce laws protecting investors and market integrity, particularly as concerns grow around prediction markets and proposed crypto market structure legislation. Warren pointed to a 25 percent reduction in CFTC staff since January 2025 and reports that the agency was still offering buyouts and early retirement packages as of June 1, 2026. She also cited a sharp fall in enforcement activity, noting that the agency brought 58 enforcement actions and obtained more than USD 17.1 billion in monetary relief in fiscal year 2024, compared with 11 actions and less than USD 1 billion in the 12 months since the change in administration, with less than USD 10 million tied to actions filed by the current administration. The letter also raised concerns that some firings may have aligned with industry interests and that staff who questioned crypto and prediction market firms were removed. Warren said the issue is more acute because the CFTC has asserted exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets and pending crypto legislation could require significant additional resources.

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