Overview
On March 12, 2024, Global Competition Review quoted partner Lee Berger in an article titled "Biden Makes Modest Push for More Antitrust Funding." The article discusses a recent White House proposal increasing the budgets of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) bureau of competition for fiscal year 2025. The requests for fiscal year 2025 come just days after President Biden signed into law a spending package that raised the Antitrust Division’s budget by only $8 million for fiscal year 2024, even though the White House projected the Antitrust Division would need $33.5 million in additional funding to maintain its current staffing level.
Lee Berger noted that the Antitrust Division's staffing levels are still low by historical comparison even though demands on the FTC and DOJ are at their peak. "Those run-of-the-mill cases will be put on the backburner, waiting for the day when there are extra resources, which won't ever come," Berger said. "Eventually, those cases wither on the vine."
