Business groups urge Trump to double down on muscular antitrust policy to bring down prices | Latest Tech News
A coalition of distinguished business groups is urging President Trump to double down on a “muscular antitrust policy” as he appears to be like for methods to bring down prices for odd Americans.
Thursday’s exit of Justice Department antitrust chief Gail Slater prompted the groups to ship the letter later in the day, sources told The Post. Her departure adopted clashes with company management over how to deal with high-profile antitrust circumstances.
“Across the economy, consolidation and abuses of market power have made everyday necessities more expensive for Americans,” acknowledged the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Post. “When competition breaks down, prices rise, choices shrink, smaller businesses are squeezed out, and jobs are lost.”
Signers included Y Combinator, an influential startup accelerator; News Media Alliance, a commerce group that represents news retailers including The Post; Beeper, a messaging startup that had a high-profile legal dispute with Apple in 2023; and DuckDuckGo, a search engine that has called out Google for having a monopoly.
Bringing down prices is a top precedence for Trump and his allies forward of this yr’s midterm elections. Cuing off of that, the business groups said strong competitors is “essential not only to American strength and innovation, but to lowering the cost of living and increasing affordability for working families.”
The White House didn’t immediately return a request for remark.
Notable conservatives also signed on to the letter, including Joel Thayer, a Republican attorney and president of Digital Progress Institute; Aiden Buzzetti of The Bull Moose Project; and Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute.
The missive included a sector-by-sector breakdown of how anticompetitive practices have resulted in increased prices. In the tech industry, “dominant platforms” use their market control to impose “coercive terms on sellers and advertisers, and pass those costs on to consumers,” the groups wrote.
The business groups urged President Trump to double down on antitrust policy. REUTERS
Grocery prices spike in half because dominant food retailers block out smaller rivals and charge exorbitant prices for items, while monopolistic agriculture farms have eroded impartial farmers’ leverage when negotiating for items like seeds and fertilizer.
Elsewhere, consolidation within the healthcare sector has “weakened competition, reduced patient choice, and driven up premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and prescription drug prices,” the letter acknowledged.
Gail Slater exited as the DOJ’s antitrust chief on Thursday. Bloomberg via Getty Images
“A muscular antitrust policy is not about punishing success,” it continued. “It is about ensuring that markets remain open, that firms compete on the merits, and that no company becomes so powerful it can raise prices, restrict output, or block competitors with impunity.”
“We respectfully urge your Administration to build on its America First Antitrust commitment by advancing strong enforcement in 2026, particularly in sectors where intervention will most directly affect the cost and availability of everyday essentials,” the letter added.
The business groups said strong antitrust policy would help decrease prices. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Other signatories included the National Grocers Association and more than two dozen extra small business and regional food industry commerce groups.
Trump pledged to continue a strong pro-competition agenda upon successful the White House, though some critics have alleged that MAGA-friendly lobbyists have wielded an excessive amount of affect with his advisers.
The Justice Department is slated to face off in court this March with Live Nation and Ticketmaster over allegations it has operated an unlawful monopoly that outcomes in increased ticket prices for customers.
In current days, reviews emerged that Slater was sidelined as Live Nation pursued potential settlement talks with DOJ management. And last yr, The Post reported that top Justice Department officers settled a bid to block Hewlett Packard’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks despite Slater’s strong objections.
The DOJ is presently set to face off against Ticketmaster and Live Nation in March. Getty Images
The choice to take away Slater got here straight from the White House, a source with information of the state of affairs said. By Thursday morning, Slater had announced that she was leaving the company, though she didn’t elaborate on the circumstances.
Some sources pushed back on the notion that MAGA lobbyists efficiently pushed out Slater, asserting instead that she had merely worn out her welcome after frequent clashes with Attorney General Pam Bondi in current months.
The DOJ is presently interesting the judge-ordered remedy against Google in a landmark antitrust case. Getty Images
The DOJ also has pending circumstances against Visa and Apple. The company said earlier this month it could appeal what critics considered as a softer-than-expected remedy enacted by the choose who ruled Google has an unlawful monopoly over online search.
Tensions had been high for months due to a divide between two camps — populist conservatives that most well-liked an aggressive anti-monopoly strategy and other Republicans who favored a more conventional, lenient method to enforcement that encourages dealmaking.
Omeed Assefi will serve as appearing antitrust chief following Slater’s exit, sources said.
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