Recently appointed CFTC Chairman Tim Massad announced last week that there were “a lot of things” he would like to do to continue the CFTC’s goal of regulating financial markets, but that he is held back by strict congressional budget constraints. Referring to the CFTC’s role in promulgating regulations under Dodd-Frank, Massad pointed out, “Our budget hasn’t really increased very much, and yet we were given vastly expanded responsibilities in terms of the markets we cover.” Pointing to a shortfall in staff necessary to carry out the CFTC’s mandate, Massad stated that the CFTC was forced to “rely heavily on the [financial] industry to regulate itself.”

The CFTC’s budget woes have been exacerbated by House Republicans, who will not approve funding requests by the agency and by the White House, even while House Democrats claim that their congressional counterparties are trying to scuttle Dodd-Frank. The CFTC’s current budget is $215 and is unlikely to increase in the next fiscal year.

Massad, who had previously overseen the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) assured that he would be able to improve staff morale at the CFTC. Quoting Theodore Roosevelt, Massad said that he tells staff, “We’re going to do what we can with what we have.”