Antitrust

The consumer welfare standard, which maximizes consumer benefits instead of protecting individual competitors in the market, has been the north star of antitrust policy for over four decades. Antitrust law under the consumer welfare standard is primarily focused benefiting consumers and strengthening the competitive process, not to protect companies from being outperformed by other firms. This objective, rule-of-law approach has protected American innovation and brought consistency to antitrust enforcement. 

The left – and unfortunately some on the right – want to nullify the consumer welfare standard in favor of a more activist, interventionist approach to antitrust enforcement. Their ultimate goal is to use antitrust law to address unrelated social goals and “break up” big companies. Overzealous regulators would target large companies no matter how much they improve American lives or compete fairly with other firms. This would have a chilling effect on free enterprise, crush American innovation, and give activist bureaucrats license to fundamentally reshape the American economy. OCC opposes any and all efforts to weaken or overturn the consumer welfare standard, and stands firm against attempts to use antitrust law to reshape the economy. 

We will also oppose proposals such as aggressive merger prohibitions, inverting the burden of proof, allowing collusion and antitrust exemptions for politically favored firms, and politicizing antitrust enforcement decision-making more generally. Arbitrary or overly broad antitrust enforcement will impede economic recovery and risks job losses—something we should not exacerbate as the nation recovers from economic hardships and adapts to evolving market dynamics and changing consumer needs resulting from the global pandemic.

Antitrust

ATR Submits Comments Urging FTC To Keep Bipartisan Limits On Antitrust Enforcement Authority

By: Tom Hebert Americans for Tax Reform, the Open Competition Center, and Digital Liberty today submitted comments to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan urging the Commission to leave a 2015 bipartisan agreement in place that limits the FTC’s antitrust enforcement authority.  Section 5 of the FTC Act outlaws “unfair…

Antitrust

House Democrats Call On Pelosi To Delay Cicilline Antitrust Package Markup

By: Tom Hebert Eight House Democrats called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other top Democrats to delay the markup of the antitrust package spearheaded by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.).  Reps. Suzan DelBene, Scott Peters, Sharice Davids, Ann McLane Kuster, Chrissy Houlahan, Kathy Manning, Bradley Schneider, and Stacey Plaskett signed…

Antitrust

25+ Conservative Groups and Activists Urge Congress to Reject Democrat Antitrust Power-Grab

By: Tom Hebert A coalition of 26 conservative groups and grassroots activists at both the state and federal level released a letter today urging Congress to reject the Democrat antitrust power-grab spearheaded by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and organized by far-left Members like Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).  The coalition’s message is clear…

Antitrust

Republicans Should Reject Cicilline Mega-Regulation Antitrust Package

By: Tom Hebert Congressman David Cicilline (D-R.I.) is releasing a package of antitrust bills with several Democrat sponsors that would fundamentally rewrite antitrust law to the detriment of American shoppers.  Cicilline is attempting to use conservative anger at Big Tech to persuade Republican lawmakers into giving the Biden Administration nearly…

Antitrust

Klobuchar’s Antitrust Bill Would Decimate Mergers and Acquisitions

WikiMedia Commons/Gage Skidmore Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has introduced “The Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act,” sweeping legislation that rewrites U.S. antitrust law and overturns decades of enforcement precedent. The bill makes it vastly more difficult for mergers and acquisitions to occur, which will stifle innovation and entrepreneurship.  The…