GOP Renews Effort to Trim FTC Merger Powers

The House is moving forward with legislation to trim the Federal Trade Commission’s merger enforcement powers as a new Republican majority assumes control of the agency.

The House is set to vote today on a Republican bill that would end the FTC’s ability to challenge mergers through administrative litigation. If the legislation is enacted, the FTC, like the Justice Department, would be limited to seeking a court injunction if it wants to stop a transaction. Currently, in addition to going to court to challenge a merger, the FTC can use an internal process through which cases are heard and decided ...