House Judiciary Backs Off Proposal Axing FTC Antitrust Authority

The House Judiciary Committee voted to strip provisions from its budget reconciliation measure that would’ve transferred the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust work to the Justice Department.

The panel, led by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), adopted an amendment during a Wednesday markup of the legislative package removing that section from the bill. The move marks a quick reversal by the panel’s Republicans, who had included the provisions in a budget plan first issued April 28.

Under the proposal, all FTC funding and personnel dedicated to antitrust policy and enforcement would’ve been transferred to the DOJ. Such a scenario would represent a ...