Trump Picks Hester Peirce’s Successor as SEC and CFTC Nominees Named

US President Donald Trump has nominated Steven Levine to the Securities and Exchange Commission, aiming to fill a seat left vacant by one of the SEC’s most visible crypto voices. The White House said the move forms part of four nominations intended to address commissioner vacancies at both the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

According to a White House announcement published Thursday, Trump named two candidates each for the SEC and the CFTC. All four nominations require Senate confirmation, a process made more urgent by an expected shift in control: Democrats are set to take control of the Senate in January, narrowing the window for Republicans to secure confirmations.

Key takeaways

• Steven Levine is Trump’s nominee for an SEC term ending June 5, 2030, replacing Hester Peirce, whose departure took effect in October.
• Kristin Johnson, a former CFTC commissioner, is nominated to an SEC seat currently held by Caroline Crenshaw, whose term has expired, with an end date of June 5, 2029.
• For the CFTC, Trump nominated Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland, both described as having worked on the “Clarity Act.”
• The SEC has only two of five commissioner seats filled, while the CFTC is operating with Chairman Michael Selig as the sole commissioner.

Why the nominations matter for crypto oversight

The SEC and CFTC play a central role in shaping US digital-asset policy, from enforcement priorities to how market participants interpret existing securities and commodities frameworks. With vacancies leaving both agencies short-staffed, the regulatory direction—and how quickly contested issues can be decided—can be affected by how quickly the Senate fills commissioner roles.

As of the nominations, the SEC has only two of its five commissioner seats filled, according to the SEC’s commissioner roster. The CFTC, meanwhile, is operating with Michael Selig as the only member of its five-seat commission.

That staffing gap becomes especially significant ahead of the expected change in Senate control. Even if the nominations are advanced, the final confirmations could depend on how the Senate calendar lines up with the January shift.

Levine’s nomination: replacing a high-profile crypto advocate

Steven Levine, a Republican, was nominated to serve on the SEC for a term ending June 5, 2030. The nomination would fill the seat vacated by Hester Peirce, who left the commission in October.

Peirce has been one of the SEC’s most prominent advocates for clearer regulatory rules for digital assets. She helped shape the agency’s approach to crypto during her tenure, including through her role as former head of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. The White House materials do not suggest Levine shares Peirce’s public policy profile, and the source indicates his views on crypto regulation are less established in public reporting.

For market participants, the practical question is less about branding and more about how the SEC’s internal priorities may shift with new commissioners. When the SEC operates with a reduced number of commissioners, individual viewpoints can carry more weight in votes and agenda-setting—particularly in high-stakes areas like token classification, disclosures, and enforcement posture.

Johnson’s appointment: focus on customer protection and conflicts

Trump also nominated Kristin Johnson, a Democrat and former CFTC commissioner, to fill the SEC seat held by Caroline Crenshaw. Crenshaw’s term has expired, and Johnson’s proposed term would run until June 5, 2029.

Johnson previously advocated for stronger customer protections and more robust conflict-of-interest rules for crypto firms during her time at the CFTC, according to the details included in the White House announcement.

That background could matter as regulators continue to scrutinize how exchanges, custody providers, and other intermediaries handle client assets and comply with market-integrity expectations. With a changing SEC lineup, the direction of future guidance and enforcement—especially where investor protection and compliance design overlap—may become clearer once Johnson and Levine are confirmed.

CFTC picks signal continuity around “Clarity Act” work

On the CFTC side, the White House nominated two candidates—Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland—both identified in the announcement as having worked on the “Clarity Act.”

CFTC Chairman Mike Selig said the picks were “two strong bipartisan” selections and that he looked forward to working with them following their confirmation. The nominations would add commissioners to an agency currently staffed only by Selig, potentially enabling the CFTC to operate with a fuller board for votes on policy and enforcement matters.

Although the source does not detail what each nominee would emphasize, the common thread that both have been linked to legislative work around the “Clarity Act” suggests the administration sees value in continuity between policy drafting and regulatory implementation.

What happens next in the Senate process

The nominations would typically be routed through relevant committees: the SEC nominees usually appear before the Senate Banking Committee, while the CFTC nominees would go before the Senate Agriculture Committee. After committee consideration, their nominations would move to the full Senate, where confirmation requires a majority vote.

With Senate control expected to shift in January, timing may be the biggest variable for nominees to gain approval. Readers should watch for whether the nominations advance quickly through committee hearings—and whether the political arithmetic in the Senate changes once Democrats take control.