White House Reportedly Working On Executive Order On Antitrust

The White House is said to be developing an executive order that will ask government agencies to consider antitrust concerns in decision making, Reuters reported, citing White House spokesperson Emilie Simons.

The order goes after corporate monopolies across a broad swath of industries ranging from banking to airlines, one of the sources said.

The drive comes as House lawmakers are moving forward with sweeping antitrust legislation aimed at restraining the power of Big Tech companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple and staving off corporate consolidation. 

It was not immediately clear how such an order would aid those efforts on Capitol Hill and rein in the power of large tech companies that have thrived for years without much regulation.

One of the sources described the order as “well developed” and said it builds on a 2016 report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Both sources said it is being worked on by former Obama administration officials who now work for President Joe Biden.

White House spokesperson Emilie Simons did not comment on specific details, but said the president made clear during his campaign that he is committed to increasing competition in the American economy, including banning noncompete agreements for workers and protecting farmers from abusive practices.

“There is no final decision on any actions at this time,” she said.

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