Securities Regulation Daily Wrap Up, CFTC NEWS AND SPEECHES—Senate Ag Committee pulls vote on Quintenz’ nomination for CFTC chairman, (Jul 22, 2025)

By Suzanne Cosgrove

The vote had been slated for late Monday; no rescheduled date has been announced.

A vote scheduled by the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Senate Agricultural Committee to advance President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brian Quintenz for chairman of the CFTC was abruptly pulled without explanation late Monday afternoon.

A spokesperson in the office of Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) confirmed that the vote had been canceled but would not say when it might be rescheduled.

USDA nominees approved. The Senate committee had listed Quintenz on its website as one of four nominees scheduled for a vote on Monday. The committee voted to advance the nominations of Dudley Hoskins, of the District of Columbia, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and Scott Hutchins, of Indiana, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics.

A report on PoliticoPro stated all Republican members of the panel were needed to push Qunintenz’ approval through to the full Senate on Monday and they were "just not able to get everybody in the room." Bloomberg reported the committee delayed the vote due to the absence of GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R- Miss.), who had a delayed flight.

The CFTC chairman’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for the financial markets. The agency will need to address and oversee emerging technologies and shifting market structures, including the growing influence of non-traditional platforms like spot digital commodities.

On the cusp of change. A hearing to consider the nomination of Quintenz as CFTC chairman was held last month. Quintenz served as CFTC commissioner from August 2017 to September 2021, but since leaving the agency he has been the head of policy for a16z crypto, the crypto venture funds of Andreessen Horowitz. He also is a board member of the prediction market Kalshi and an advisory council member of Crypto.com.

Some senators voiced reservations at the nomination hearing about Quintenz’ crypto and event contract ties, and gaming organizations have weighed in with concerns about Quintenz’ connections to Kalshi. The American Gaming Association (AGA), the Indian Gaming Association (IGA), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the National Council of Problem Gambling (NCPG), sent Boozman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Amy Klobuchar a letter dated July 16 stating that Quintenz “failed to provide meaningful clarity on the controversial issue of sports event contracts in response to questions by members of the Committee” in the June hearing.

Quintenz has said he would divest from a16z crypto and Kalshi if confirmed as chairman.

The job to head the CFTC that been vacant since the agency’s former chairman, Rostin Behnam, stepped down in February. Caroline Pham has served as acting chairman since Behnam left but has said she would leave the agency when a permanent chair is named.

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