40 Organizations Call on Biden to Appoint Antitrust Enforcers Without Big Tech Ties

Washington, D.C. – Today, 40 national, state, and local organizations representing millions of Americans concerned about the immense power of Big Tech corporations sent a letter (PDF) to President-elect Biden urging him to avoid appointing to key antitrust enforcement positions individuals who have served as lawyers, lobbyists, or consultants for Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Instead, the groups say, Biden should appoint experienced litigators and public servants who have recognized the dangers of, rather than helped to exacerbate, these corporations’ market power.

As the organizations’ letter explains, appointing individuals who fail to recognize the broad range of dangerous social and economic challenges posed by monopolization in digital markets would subvert President-elect Biden’s agenda of restoring power to workers, communities, and small businesses. It would also stand in the way of recent momentum to address these challenges.

The House Antitrust Subcommittee recently completed a historic investigation into the monopoly power of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google and found bipartisan support for legislative and regulatory recommendations to rein in their power. The Department of Justice recently joined with state Attorneys General to file a historic antitrust suit against Google, and bipartisan groups of state AGs have filed two additional suits against Google. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission and numerous states filed antitrust suits against Facebook, and the FTC is reportedly investigating Amazon and Apple.

Appointing antitrust enforcers with no ties to dominant corporations in the industries they will be tasked with overseeing – particularly in regard to the technology sector – will not only ensure this momentum continues, it will also help re-establish public trust in government at a critically important moment in our country’s history.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.