Senate vote on CFTC nominee Brian Quintenz delayed again

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry has once again postponed a scheduled vote on Brian Quintenz’s nomination to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), this time at the request of the White House.

The White House has reportedly asked Senate Republicans to delay the confirmation vote for Brian Quintenz, former CFTC commissioner and President Trump’s pick to lead the agency again, Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) told Bloomberg reporter Yash Roy. Reasons for the White House's decision or a new timeline for the vote remain unclear.

Senators had been set to vote on Monday to advance Quintenz’s nomination, but less than two hours before the meeting, the committee issued an updated agenda removing his name and substituting a vote on Richard Fordyce for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation, InGame reported.

Despite the delay, reports indicate that Quintenz remains President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the CFTC, which oversees U.S. derivatives markets, including newly emerging prediction exchanges like Kalshi and Railbird.

The move marks the second last-minute delay for Quintenz’s vote. A similar postponement occurred the previous week, reportedly due to Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) missing the meeting because of a delayed flight. With all Democratic members expected to oppose Quintenz, Republican attendance must be unanimous to advance the nomination.

Half an hour before Monday’s agenda change, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), a committee member, posted a criticism of Democrats’ opposition to Trump nominees on X. Tuberville had been attending an event in Tuscaloosa earlier that day, raising questions about whether he would have made it to Washington in time for the vote.

When a new coach is hired, they get to pick their team. It’s that simple.

77 million Americans PICKED President Trump to lead our country. And yet, radical Democrats continue to BLOCK over 150 of his nominees. RIDICULOUS.

It’s time we buckle up and get @POTUS’s team confirmed.

— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) July 28, 2025

Should the committee eventually vote in favor of Quintenz, the nomination would proceed to the full Senate, where all 100 senators would vote. With a 53-47 Republican majority, Vice President JD Vance would cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie.

Quintenz, nominated by Trump in February, would assume a powerful role overseeing prediction markets—a regulatory gray area increasingly in the spotlight. Kalshi, which currently offers contracts on sports and economic events, has argued in court that only the CFTC can shut down its operations.

Adding to the scrutiny, Trump Jr. is an advisor to Kalshi. Tribal leaders and gaming industry groups have called out the close ties. Two weeks ago, tribal groups, the American Gaming Association, casino lobbyists, and the safe gambling advocates sent a letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee urging them to pause the nomination. They argued that prediction markets are being used to dodge state gambling laws.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the top Democrat on the committee, told Bloomberg that the delay was not due to opposition from her party and that she was surprised the vote did not take place.

As CFTC chair, Quintenz is expected to adopt a permissive stance toward such markets. During his confirmation hearing in June, he acknowledged tribal concerns but suggested Native American tribes are free to operate sports-based event contracts as well.

Currently a board member and shareholder in Kalshi, Quintenz has pledged in an ethics letter to resign and divest from the company if confirmed. If confirmed soon, Quintenz could find himself temporarily acting as the CFTC’s sole commissioner.

Acting Chair Caroline Pham is expected to step down upon his arrival, and three other commissioners—Summer Mersinger, Christy Goldsmith Romero, and Kristin Johnson—have either resigned or announced plans to leave. Former full-time chair Rostin Behnam departed in February.

Quintenz served on the CFTC from 2017 to 2021 and has since held roles at Andreessen Horowitz, Crypto.com, and Kalshi.