Demand Progress

WASHINGTON — Ahead of today's House Rules Committee vote on H.R. 3843, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, Demand Progress Legal Director Ginger Quintero-McCall issued the following statement: 

“The antitrust package being considered today in Congress (H.R.3843, Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act) is a very important first step in reining in the power of Big Tech companies like Amazon and Google. This legislation is supported by a bipartisan coalition of legislators, as well as small business groups, organized labor, and advocacy organizations. If passed, it represents the first time in many decades that Congress has taken an action to strengthen antitrust enforcement.

“Critically, the bill strengthens antitrust laws and injects much-needed funds to the antitrust enforcement agencies and allows them to properly fulfill their role safeguarding the economy and consumers from anticompetitive conduct and harmful mergers. We task our antitrust enforcers with a duty to protect us, and it is only right we give them adequate resources to do so.

“While much more must be done, this bipartisan package represents a critical first step for Congress to reverse the course of lax antitrust enforcement that has proved to be destructive to small businesses, workers, communities, and innovation. While we continue to support the broader antitrust reforms put forward in the House and Senate, especially the American Choice and Innovation Online Act and the Open App Markets Act, we recognize that antitrust enforcers should urgently have the resources they need, and it is imperative that the legislative package included in H.R. 3843 move forward in the House.”