WASHINGTON — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement following the appointment of Jonathan Kanter to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust at the Department of Justice:
“Jonathan Kanter’s nomination means there will be a champion in the Department of Justice for those whose lives and livelihoods have been most harmed by unjust and illegal monopolies: from workers and consumers, to local newspapers and small businesses. We applaud President Biden for this critically important nomination of Kanter, who will ensure the federal government is fully empowered to rein in anti-competitive behavior, promote fairness, and end monopolistic practices — as well as preventing them from happening in the first place.
“We are at a critical moment in the fight against corporate consolidation. It is time to finally hold all corporate monopolies, including Big Tech, accountable. Big Tech platforms’ current policy of self-regulation clearly does not work — and as long as they remain unregulated, they will continue to violate users’ privacy, destroy small businesses, strangle competition, allow destructive misinformation and discrimination to fester, and endanger our democracy.
“The President’s nominations of Kanter, combined with progressive choices including Lina Khan, Tim Wu and Rohit Chopra, will enable Congress to reassert our power and to write the next critically important chapter of antitrust law. I'm looking forward to working with AAG Kanter once confirmed to build an economy that is equitable, competitive, and allows innovation to thrive.”
