Democratic appointee Willie Phillips has stepped down from his seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which he chaired during the Biden administration, at the request of President Donald Trump.

His departure leaves the commission with a 2-2 partisan split, paving the way for Trump to name a new commissioner and give the majority back to Republicans.

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A White House official confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Philips stepped down. His departure from the independent commission was set to take effect immediately.

“I heard from the White House, and they expressed their interest that I step aside,” Phillips told Politico. “It’s something that’s not a surprise to me. In fact, I had already planned to do so.”

The FERC is an independent agency typically composed of up to five commissioners that regulates interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil.

The commission, chaired by Republican Mark Christie, is made up of people on both sides of the aisle, and each commissioner serves a five-year term.

Philips had been set to complete his term at the end of June 2026.

It was not immediately clear why the White House sought to remove Phillips from the commission, as he has long voted alongside Republicans and in line with the administration’s agenda regarding providing electricity to facilitate artificial intelligence in the United States.

In November 2024, Phillips dissented from the FERC’s ruling denying a request to expand the amount of power generated by the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania that is set to be sent directly to an Amazon data center. Critics have said the deal would put an undue burden on other customers in the region.

In his dissent, Phillips called the rejection a “step backward” regarding national security and the U.S.’s “pole position” with AI.

Until his replacement is named, Phillips’s departure from the commission may leave it deadlocked in some key votes in the coming months.

It could also delay the commission’s efforts to issue new rules regarding co-locating AI data centers directly with existing power plants, a process also known as behind-the-meter.

Trump has not yet named a nominee for the commission, though he can be expected to select someone closely aligned with his support of the oil, gas, and coal industries.

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On Tuesday, Christie praised Phillips’s work while serving on and leading the commission, describing him in a statement as a “dedicated and selfless public servant.”

“As I have said many times, he did an outstanding job as Chairman of FERC,” Christie said. “He and I worked together on many contentious issues to find common ground and get things done to serve the public interest. We will miss him here at FERC. I wish him and his family the very best for future success – and I am confident he will continue to be successful in whatever career path he chooses.”