FTC & DOJ Collaborate to Identify Anticompetitive Regulations Across the Federal Government

Key Takeaways

• FTC and DOJ Collaboration: The FTC and DOJ are working together to identify anticompetitive regulations across federal agencies.
• Executive Order Focus: This effort stems from President Trump’s Executive Order aimed at reducing regulatory barriers that hinder competition and innovation.
• Agency Accountability: Federal agencies are asked to submit a list of anticompetitive regulations with recommendations for either removal, modification, or further justification.

Deep Dive

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division are asking federal agencies to take a closer look at their own rulebooks. The goal? To identify and remove regulations that stifle innovation, reduce competition, and ultimately hinder the American economy.

This joint effort is the latest chapter in a broader push to streamline regulations and open the doors for more entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive. FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson and DOJ Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater have sent a letter to federal agency heads, asking them to make a list of regulations that could be considered anticompetitive.

The directive comes in the wake of President Trump’s Executive Order on Reducing Anticompetitive Regulatory Barriers, which calls on all agencies to review their regulations and highlight those that might be acting as barriers to fair competition. For each identified regulation, the agency is expected to either recommend its removal, suggest specific changes, or explain why it might still be causing issues in the marketplace.

But this isn’t just a top-down review. The FTC has also recently launched a Request for Information (RFI), inviting the public to weigh in on how federal regulations might be hampering competition. This initiative is about more than just gathering feedback from agencies, it’s about hearing from businesses, consumers, and anyone who’s impacted by these rules.

Once the agencies provide their lists of potentially anticompetitive regulations, the FTC and DOJ will consolidate all this information and send a report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This report will outline which regulations should be scrapped, which ones need to be tweaked, and where further review is needed. The ultimate goal is a more efficient and competitive regulatory environment that fosters innovation and economic growth.

This collaborative effort between the FTC and DOJ is a step toward making the U.S. regulatory landscape work better for everyone, from small startups to large corporations. By cutting through unnecessary red tape, the hope is to give the market room to breathe, allowing new ideas to flourish and ultimately benefiting consumers and businesses alike.

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