Klobuchar’s Antitrust Bill Is an Important Step Forward
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today introduced the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act. Alex Harman, competition policy advocate for Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“We applaud Sen. Klobuchar’s long-term commitment to providing oversight and meaningful reform to antitrust enforcement. Today’s introduction of the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act marks an opportunity for Sen. Klobuchar, as the chair of the antitrust subcommittee, to continue the work of addressing corporate concentration in nearly every sector of our economy. This legislation would severely limit harmful mega-mergers, attempt to strengthen the powers of the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice, and expand important whistleblower protections.
“But after decades of problematic antitrust caselaw, we believe that this legislation could do more to shift antitrust policy away from the courts – where judges have wide discretion – and into the hands of regulators. In addition, we still need to unwind the decades of harmful mergers that have exacerbated economic inequality, harmed innovation, reduced consumer choice, devastated small businesses, and threatened democracy. We appreciate Sen. Klobuchar’s strong support for these issues and look forward to continuing to work with her and leaders in the House on building support for much needed reforms to our antitrust laws.”