Democrat Caroline Crenshaw’s nomination to serve another term as a commissioner at the Securities and Exchange Commission just hit more obstacles after a planned committee vote was postponed.
With few days remaining on the congressional calendar this year to reschedule, the move heightens the possibility of a three-person, all-Republican SEC in the early months of the next Trump administration. Crenshaw’s renomination has been in limbo since her term at the agency officially ended in June.
Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown initially postponed the vote just minutes before it was scheduled Wednesday morning and after the panel’s GOP members had appeared. Republican senators then blocked Brown’s request to waive procedural rules and hold a vote later that day, a Senate aide said.
Crenshaw’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the delayed vote.
If the nomination continues to stall, President-elect Donald Trump could select Republican Paul Atkins to fill her spot on the five-person board since the term is expired. Crenshaw can only remain at the SEC until January 2026 if no other person is confirmed to her role, according to the statute.
Trump announced Atkins as his pick to head the agency earlier this month. Chair Gary Gensler and Commissioner Jaime Lizárraga, both Democrats, plan to depart the SEC in January. The SEC can have up to five commissioners with no more than three of the same political party.
Tyler Gellasch, president of the trade group Healthy Markets Association, said failure to confirm Crenshaw could result in the agency losing the important dynamics of multiple political viewpoints.
