Schumer Recommends Consumer Advocate Rohit Chopra to the President to Serve as FTC Commissioner – Says Chopra is Eminently Qualified and has Been Putting Interests of Consumers First His Entire Career

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced that he has formally recommended to President Trump that Rohit Chopra be selected to serve as Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner. Throughout the entirety of his career, Mr. Chopra has consistently put the interests of consumers first, fighting for greater protections for U.S. taxpayers, including veterans and students. Mr. Chopra is currently serving as a Senior Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America and has also served as Special Adviser to the Secretary of Education, and Assistant Director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

“The Federal Trade Commission should be led by people who put the interests of consumers above all else, and that’s what Rohit Chopra has done his entire life. Whether it was fighting on behalf of students and borrowers with student loan issues at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or working to protect the finances of our nation’s veterans, Rohit has been a thoughtful and effective advocate for consumers. He would make an excellent addition to the FTC. I strongly urge the President to nominate him and will push for his swift confirmation in the Senate,” said Leader Schumer.

Rohit Chopra is currently serving as a Senior Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America, where he leads the organization’s research and advocacy on consumer protection in consumer finance and higher education. Prior to this position, Chopra served as Special Adviser to the Secretary of Education. He joined the senior leadership team at the Department of Education in 2016 to lead efforts on bolstering enforcement to protect students and taxpayers from abuse. During his tenure, the Administration put into place new reforms to improve student loan servicing, reduce borrower defaults, and restrict fine print in college enrollment agreements.

Prior to his service at the Education Department, Chopra was among the first employees at the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2010. As Assistant Director, he served on the senior leadership team and led the agency’s work on behalf of students and young consumers. In 2011, he was also named by the Secretary of the Treasury as the agency’s first student loan ombudsman, a new role established by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In this role, he led agency efforts to spur more loan modifications for delinquent student loan borrowers, secure hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for borrowers victimized by unlawful conduct, and develop new tools for students and student loan borrowers to make smarter decisions. He led development of a new Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, voluntarily adopted by more than 3,200 colleges and used by millions of families annually.

Chopra has frequently testified before Congress about the student loan market and opportunities for reform. His work has been profiled by The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, and Money. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his public service and contributions to the field of consumer protection.

He was previously a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Prior to entering government, Chopra worked at McKinsey & Company, the global management consultancy, where he focused on financial services and consumer technology. He also worked at a peer-to-peer lending startup.

Chopra holds a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to the Republic of Korea.