Congressional Briefing on Antitrust Enforcement: What If? Consequences of Proposed Antitrust Legislation

July 20, 2022 | 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET | Online Discussion

This is one of the most active antitrust legislative sessions in years. Proposals include aggressive merger prohibitions, inverting the burden of proof, allowing collusion and antitrust exemptions for politically favored firms, bans on otherwise-common business practices, and the politicization of antitrust enforcement decision-making more generally.

The proposals carry a wide range of implications, including economic, competitive, privacy, national security, and consequences for innovation and the rule of law. The potential downsides of such policies in the real world are heightened, given the Biden administration’s decidedly liberal, agenda-driven antitrust policy stance, activist enforcers at the agencies, and a purported need to remedy current economic ills by “increasing competition” — whatever that may mean.

Experts will discuss the consequences of current proposals, including how they would play out from an enforcement perspective, and why certain proposals are an affront to the rule of law.

House congressional staff will also have ample opportunity to pose their questions in a setting designed to promote the open exchange of ideas.

This discussion is off-the-record and is for House Congressional staff only. Registration required.

Featured speakers:

Hon. Joshua D. Wright
Former Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
University Professor, Scalia Law School at George Mason University & Executive Director, Global Antitrust Institute

Ashley Baker
Director of Public Policy, The Committee for Justice & Founder, The Alliance on Antitrust