Recently, National Taxpayers Union (NTU) hosted a Capitol Hill panel discussion concerning the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its impact on American taxpayers. The panel was held in conjunction with the release of a new policy paper from NTU President, Pete Sepp, “FTC: A Three-Letter Way to Spell ‘Nanny’?” which postulates that the FTC poses a serious threat to consumers by “dictating their everyday choices.”
Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, kicked off the discussion with opening remarks condemning overreach by agencies like the FTC, and emphasizing the need to take action against these threats to American growth and prosperity. Senator Flake stated that NTU’s panel discussion “exposes and sheds light on the problem with the ever expanding bureaucracy” and urged Congress to assert its authority against “nanny” agencies, including the FTC and EPA.
Other panel participants included Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom, Ryan Radia, Associate Director of Technology Studies at Competitive Enterprise Institute, and James C. Cooper, Director of Research and Policy at George Mason University Law & Economic Center. Together, the panelists discussed the potential danger posed by the FTC to free enterprise and technological innovation.
Check out the video below to learn more about how the FTC hinders economic freedom through burdensome and aggressive investigative tactics that are enabled by loosely worded laws and ever-broader powers. As the FTC’s assumed purview expands, consumers will increasingly pay the price. Let’s hope Congress takes legislative steps to reduce the overexpansion of bureaucratic agencies.