FERC Commissioner Willie Phillips, a Democrat who chaired the agency under President Joe Biden, was asked to step down from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the White House, he told POLITICO on Tuesday.
“I heard from the White House, and they expressed their interest that I step aside,” he said. “It’s something that’s not a surprise to me. In fact, I had already planned to do so.”
Phillips will step down effective immediately, he said. He had already informed his team and Chair Mark Christie, whom he praised for his leadership.
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His exit from FERC will remove the Democrats’ majority on the commission, leaving a 2-2 partisan split, and allow President Donald Trump to tap a replacement commissioner.
