Washington, D.C. — Today, in a letter to House Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy, a coalition of antimonopoly groups debunked Big Tech corporations’ claims that efforts to address the harms posed by Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon pose a threat to U.S. national security. Instead, the letter signers argue that competition is essential to American security at home and abroad, noting that monopolists virtually never prioritize national security, that they do not foster innovation, and that they pool risk.

Signed by the American Economic Liberties Project, the Center for Digital Democracy, Demand Progress, Public Citizen, and Revolving Door Project, today’s letter comes shortly after a slate of former defense and intelligence officials with direct or other financial ties to Big Tech firms urged House leaders to stall pending antitrust efforts.

“The reality is that Big Tech is not here to help national security or the public interest, but to maintain monopoly rents and market power,” said Lucas Kunce, Director of National Security Policy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “In fact, corporate giants are stifling innovation and eroding America’s competitive edge. These same monopolies will put their shareholders and profits over national security every time if continue we let them.”

Indeed, as the letter signers explain “relying on large monopoly corporations to act in the best interest of national security is futile and goes against their very legal and operational foundations. Exxon CEO Lee Raymond captured this reality when talking about his company: ‘I’m not a U.S. company and I don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the U.S.’”

That’s among reasons why the letter signers conclude by encouraging “Congress and the executive branch to act swiftly against the risk these dominant firms present to our core security interests.”

Read the letter here.

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

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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.