House Proposal Would Transfer FTC Antitrust Authorities to DOJ

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are pushing a proposal to transfer the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust authorities to the Justice Department in what would be a drastic overhaul of US competition enforcement.

The proposal was laid out in a budget reconciliation package issued Monday by committee chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). It mirrors a bill some Republicans have supported for years to make antitrust enforcement the sole purview of the Justice Department.

Under the Monday proposal, all FTC funding and personnel dedicated to antitrust enforcement would be transferred to the Justice Department. Ongoing FTC antitrust actions would continue “as the ...