FTC’s New M&A Rules Came from Rare, Bipartisan Compromise

A new US antitrust rule requiring companies to give the government more information on their mergers and acquisitions came with a surprise twist: The Federal Trade Commission passed it with a rare 5-0 vote.

The agency’s two Republican commissioners, who have vociferously opposed some of Chair Lina Khan’s other major rulemakings, joined the panel’s three Democrats in supporting changes to rules for complying with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The discussions also involved the agency’s top competition staffer and the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

The update, released Oct. 10, followed months of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations in which the Republicans ...