FEC Shutdown Nears One-Year Mark With No Quorum, No Consequences
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Election Commission, the agency responsible for enforcing federal campaign finance laws, closed its doors in October 2025 because of a lack of a quorum. Without a quorum of at least four members, no official action may be taken. The agency’s own closure notice notes: “Virtually all core agency functions (will cease), including: review of campaign finance disclosure reports; enforcement of Federal Election Campaign Act; rendering of advisory opinions; rulemaking; all non-Supreme Court litigation.” The agency remains closed today.
Acting FEC Chair Shana Broussard highlighted the scale of the problem, noting that the number of stalled enforcement matters has doubled over the past year from 154 to 307, Quorum is necessary to tackle this backlog and achieve the agency’s mission ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Craig Holman, Ph.D., a government affairs lobbyist at Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“Our nation’s election cop, the Federal Election Commission, has been closed for nearly a year because of the President’s and Congress’ unwillingness to appoint a quorum. That inaction has now resulted in an all-time record high of 307 backlogged enforcement cases. Candidates and political committees are beginning to realize there will be no consequences for violating campaign finance and disclosure requirements – an increasingly dangerous trend for free and fair elections as we enter the 2026 elections.
“Clearly, the problems with a dysfunctional FEC due to partisan bickering between the 3-3 partisan divide on the Commission began much earlier – in 2008, to be specific, when former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell realized he could hinder enforcement of the campaign finance laws that he never liked by ensuring the appointment of Commissioners who shared his animosity toward campaign finance disclosure. But even a Commission tied up in partisan politics continued to address the most egregious violations of the law. Having no elections cop on the beat is far worse than a politically divided agency.
“Public Citizen once again appeals to the President and Congress to fill all six Commission seats and bring the FEC back to life.”