Paul Atkins was sworn in as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 21, 2025. Atkins, a Republican lawyer, was formally nominated by President Donald Trump in January 2025 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in April 2025, based in part on his former leadership at the SEC. Atkins was previously appointed by President George W. Bush and served as an SEC Commissioner from 2002-2008 under Former Chairmen, Harvey Pitt, William Donaldson, and Christopher Cox. Atkins also represented the SEC at meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. From 2009 to 2010, he was appointed a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Atkins also previously served on the staff of former SEC Chairmen, Richard Breeden and Arthur Levitt from 1990-1994. Immediately prior to his current appointment, Atkins founded and served as an executive of a Washington consulting firm, Patomak Global Partners. Atkins is expected to take a lighter regulatory approach, focus on promoting capital formation, providing clarity for digital assets, and work with fellow Republican Commissions to continue rolling back regulations that were proposed under the leadership of prior Chairman Gary Gensler but deemed by some to have overstepped the SEC's authority and created unnecessary regulatory burdens for small firms.