Warren Calls Out Buttigieg And Schumer In Speech Urging Washington Get Tougher on Monopolies

Warren also went after Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for sitting on the sidelines amid mergers involving major meatpackers and poultry producers, and for contracting with food supplier JBS USA, which has pleaded guilty to bribery and price fixing

By Eric Cortellessa, Time

Elizabeth Warren has a message for some of her fellow Democrats: Stop protecting corporate monopolies.

In a sweeping policy speech on Wednesday laying out a grand vision for renewing and strengthening U.S. antitrust enforcement, the Massachusetts Senator accused members of her own party, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, of enabling anti-competitive conduct and consolidated markets.

Speaking before the Open Markets Institute, an anti-monopoly think tank in Washington, the liberal icon put pressure on several key Democrats to follow the Biden administration’s lead in pushing for more robust competition policy, while also making the case that resurrecting antitrust enforcement is at the core of protecting American democracy.

Though she didn’t mention Schumer by name, Warren took a less-than-subtle swipe at the New York Senator for refusing to hold a vote during the last congressional term on bipartisan legislation that aimed to prevent the tech giants from abusing their monopoly power. Both bills appeared to have enough support in Congress to make it to President Biden’s desk, according to Democratic and Republican supporters.