The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has expressed support for the President’s decision to revoke Executive Order 14036. The Division stated it will use this change as an opportunity to update and adjust federal competition policy in response to changes in the economy.
“America First Antitrust focuses on empowering the American people in the free markets, not enabling regulators and bureaucrats to prescribe outcomes,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We are unleashing the new American Golden Age through antitrust enforcement that removes barriers to innovation and opportunity and limits regulatory burdens on free competition.”
The Division noted its approval of the Administration's shift toward more targeted executive orders aimed at increasing competition, such as those intended to lower drug prices and reduce regulatory obstacles for businesses. The Antitrust Division also highlighted recent changes made to streamline merger reviews under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR). These include reinstating early termination for uncontroversial HSR reviews and showing a renewed willingness to settle merger cases with specific consent decrees—practices that had been discontinued during the Biden administration. The Division stated it will continue adapting its enforcement approach to keep pace with developments in today’s economy.
