Companies facing antitrust scrutiny funneled big money to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen before her aides tried to defund regulators’ budget.
By Freddy Brewster, The Lever
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s aides quietly drafted legislation that would gut federal antitrust enforcers’ budget — a move that could benefit some of the lawmaker’s major finance, weapons, and health care industry donors whose industries are facing the prospect of tougher scrutiny from those antitrust regulators.
Some of those donors’ companies have been actively lobbying Congress on antitrust issues in the lead-up to Shaheen’s proposed cut, according to federal disclosures reviewed by The Lever.
Shaheen aides slipped the budget-cutting provision into a must-pass 1,050-page bill to keep the government open. The language would strip the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division of nearly $50 million, or roughly 18 percent of its resources.
The proposed cut comes out of a Shaheen-chaired Senate appropriations subcommittee, which issued a summary of the bill that failed to mention the controversial provision.
Recent Posts
How Effective Are Protests? Historians Say: Very.
Take Action Now Protests change the protesters, their communities and the nation. From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass…
The United States’ Hidden History Of Regime Change—Revisited
Take Action Now The truculent trio—Trump, Hegseth, and Rubio—do Venezuela.By Barbara Koeppel, The Nation Since the early 20th century, the United…
The “President Of Peace” Prepares For War
Take Action Now The Donroe Doctrine Hits HomeBy William D. Hartung, Tom Dispatch Earlier this month, the Trump administration released its new…
“Who Are They Protecting?”: Rep. Ro Khanna Urges Contempt Charges Over AG Bondi’s Epstein Redactions
Take Action Now “The House can act unilaterally on contempt, and this will be introduced by Thomas Massie. What the resolution will say is that…