Republicans Lawmakers Show Support for Structural Separations

Washington, D.C. — At today’s House Antitrust Subcommittee hearing, “Reviving Competition, Part 1: Proposals to Address Gatekeeper Power and Lower Barriers to Entry Online,” both Republican and Democratic members showed support for structural solutions to address the broad range of harms caused by Big Tech corporations.

“Mark my words, change is coming, laws are coming,” said Congressman David Cicilline, Chairman of the House Antitrust Subcommittee. As he closed the hearing, Chairman Cicilline reinforced the centrality of structural separations, saying “one of the solutions that is most exciting to me and I think to other members of the committee is the structural solutions remedy.”

In a surprise development, Ranking Member Jim Jordan also signaled support for structural separations, inquiring about what kinds of breakups should be considered and suggesting that structural solutions be coupled with changes to Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act.

“What we heard today is that there is a growing, bipartisan consensus to take on Big Tech’s power through structural separations, a traditional tool for promoting competition,” said Morgan Harper, a Senior Advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project who testified before the Subcommittee. “If we do not act quickly, dominant platforms like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google will further erode the economic liberty of workers and small business owners, along with our broader economy and democracy. Fortunately, Members of Congress recognize the urgency of this moment and are now poised to act and implement the subcommittee’s recommendations that will change these platforms’ predatory business models.”

Video of Harper’s testimony is available here.

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Economic Liberties works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.