National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has long advocated for a light-touch approach to antitrust policy. Except in rare cases where transactions would impose excessive costs to consumers or lead to unreasonable market consolidation, the government should not interfere with mergers, acquisitions or other business deals. Indeed, many such actions create greater efficiencies and economies of scale that translate into better products, lower consumer costs, and more competitive firms.
“Building off the success of tax reform and significant deregulation, the Trump Administration should continue to embrace a pro-enterprise climate. That same philosophy should be applied to antitrust. We are pleased with today’s ruling to allow the merger between AT&T and Time Warner,” said Brandon Arnold, Executive Vice President of NTU.
“Going forward, we hope the Trump administration will take a more hands-off approach to mergers and acquisitions. The recently announced merger between T-Mobile and Sprint offers one such opportunity, as this deal has the potential to accelerate innovation and the deployment of next-generation 5G networks. As President Trump seeks to streamline and remake the federal government, he should also minimize its involvement in the private sector,” concluded Arnold.