The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is supposed to protect consumers and promote competition in the marketplace. For decades, clear merger guidelines and rulemaking standards largely made FTC enforcement activities predictable and reasonable. But under the Biden administration, the FTC has gone rogue to pursue ideological goals while removing its own institutional guardrails and chilling economic activity nationwide.
National Taxpayers Union applauds Chairman James Comer (R-KY) of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee for launching an investigation into the FTC’s actions and demanding answers from its leadership.
In a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan, Chairman Comer expressed his concerns about the FTC’s recent actions. NTU was particularly pleased to see document requests for information on potential abuse of the merger review process, whether Chair Khan should have recused herself from the Meta case, collusion with foreign antitrust authorities, and opinions from the Commission’s Office of General Counsel and Bureau of Competition.
This oversight action should uncover valuable evidence on the legal basis of the currently opaque actions the FTC is undertaking, many of which impose significant burdens on businesses and chill innovation and competition. It may also uncover dissent from other members of the FTC staff concerned with the direction of the agency and overreach of its lawful authority.
Chairman Comer’s investigation is timely and necessary to rein in the FTC’s overreach and protect the interests of American taxpayers. The FTC should not repeat the past by acting as a super-legislature that imposes its own policy preferences on the economy. The FTC must return to its own precedent and focus on its core mission of enforcing existing laws fairly and effectively.
NTU commends Chairman Comer for his leadership in standing up to the FTC’s rogue ideological agenda. We urge him to continue his oversight efforts and hold the FTC accountable for its actions.