New FTC chair Andrew Ferguson previews Trump admin’s plans for the regulator
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson discusses his objectives for the company.
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s administration is taking form and Andrew Ferguson, the brand new chair of the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC), previewed the administration’s plans for the company in his first interview since coming into the function.
Ferguson spoke with FOX Enterprise’ Edward Lawrence and mentioned that he thinks the Trump administration goes to take an aggressive strategy to imposing antitrust legal guidelines which are designed to counter monopolistic, anti-competitive conduct in enterprise.
“What I believe corporations can anticipate over the subsequent couple of years is vigorous antitrust enforcement. If we predict that you’ve got violated the legislation, which is what we’ll observe – the legislation, not my preferences, the legislation – then we’ll implement it,” Ferguson mentioned.
The Federal Commerce Fee constructing in Washington, D.C. (Picture by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Common Photographs Group through Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
Ferguson mentioned the Trump administration’s choice to retain the merger pointers that the Biden administration left in place relatively than rescinding them outright.
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“Virtually each set of pointers is retained by the subsequent administration: President Trump retained President Obama’s pointers, President Bush retained President Clinton’s pointers,” he mentioned. “Is smart. It is actually vital to advertise stability and certainty throughout administrations.”
“No pointers are excellent. There are elements of these pointers, I believe, that push the envelope a bit,” Ferguson mentioned.
He added that he plans to work with the Justice Division’s antitrust division to ensure these pointers are working per the legislation and that they might “undertake an iterative, clear revision course of, however I do not suppose we must always simply rescind them wholesale.”
“President Trump is the pinnacle of the social gathering of America’s staff, of America’s laborers, and the FTC and the antitrust legal guidelines shield labor markets,” Ferguson mentioned. (SAUL LOEB/AFP through Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
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Ferguson additionally signaled the company plans to make use of its antitrust authorities to guard staff by guaranteeing that their skill to compete within the labor market and transfer between jobs is not unduly inhibited by issues like non-compete agreements or no-poach agreements.
“It truly is vital for the FTC underneath President Trump’s administration to do every part it might to guard staff. President Trump is the pinnacle of the social gathering of America’s staff, of America’s laborers, and the FTC and the antitrust legal guidelines shield labor markets,” he mentioned.
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“I believe one of the vital vital issues that the FTC will do underneath my watch is focusing very intently on attacking anti-competitive conduct that hurts America’s staff,” Ferguson mentioned. “I believe that’s half and parcel of what President Trump was elected to do, and the FTC underneath President Trump goes to do it.”
