Antitrust No Cure-All For Economic Ills, FTC Chief Says Share us on: By Melissa Lipman Law360, Ne

Antitrust No Cure-All For Economic Ills, FTC Chief Says
Share us on: By Melissa Lipman

Law360, New York (September 11, 2017, 6:41 PM EDT) -- Amid increasing calls for tougher antitrust enforcement to tackle concentrated industries, the Federal Trade Commission's Maureen Ohlhausen cautioned Monday that the Sherman Act is not the right tool to deal with income inequality.

After searching for a platform to appeal to voters on the losing end of rising income inequality, Democratic leaders called for a crackdown on market concentration as part of their "Better Deal" economic plan unveiled in July.

The line of thinking championed by high-profile lawmakers like Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., calls for a more muscular approach to antitrust enforcement against mergers and monopolies.

But Ohlhausen, the acting FTC chairman, warned in a speech Monday in Washington, D.C., against trying to wield the antitrust laws too broadly, saying that they are "not a panacea."


Paywall
https://www.law360.com/employment/articles/962752/antitrust-no-cure-all-for-economic-ills-ftc-chief-says?nl_pk=73c3d610-6425-4f72-8045-d1b8bf05ced4&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=employment

The article goes on to quote from the Acting FTC chairman that that they have to approach dealing with this issue of income inequality with more "humility". She believes in "Economic liberty and regulatory humility." Trump has yet to name the chairman and 3 empty seats on the commission for the FTC.

Looks like we have another great wedge issue to use against the Republicans!