The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was especially active in the consumer protection space this past week, including announcing three separate enforcement actions based on earnings claims and three more for Made in USA claims. On the competition side, the FTC took action against noncompete agreements. These stories and more after the jump.

As we approach the end of the year, the FTC has been active in the consumer protection arena, reopening and setting aside a consent order due to President Trump’s AI Executive Order, analyzing consumer losses to rental scams, and warning companies about possible violations of the new Consumer Review Rule. More on these stories after the jump.

On November 17, 2025, (former) FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak left the FTC to become Utah’s interim U.S. attorney. Holyoak left the FTC the same day the appointment was announced.

As a result of Holyoak’s departure, the FTC is down to two commissioners: Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Commissioner Mark Meador. With the two Republican commissioners remaining, the vacancy is unlikely to lead to any material changes at the agency.

Due to the government shutdown, the FTC is closed aside from essential services.  Therefore, Crowell’s FTC updates will resume after the shutdown ends.

The FTC proposed recommendations to rescind and lighten its own regulations. The agency also published its 47th Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Report summarizing merger enforcement actions in 2024. These stories, and more, after the jump.

The FTC has been active this past week in providing guidance, including announcing a request for public comments and providing guidance on referrals for criminal regulatory offenses. It has also received a grant to improve its data processing and announced a proposed order against an e-commerce business opportunity scheme operator. These stories and more, after the jump.

This week, the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection has been busy addressing the “Attention Economy,” false income claims, privacy and data security, and a student debt relief scam. On the competition side, the FTC enforced against raising prices for anesthesiology services. These stories, and more, after the jump.