Today, I led a coalition letter in support of the confirmation of nominee Gail Slater for Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. Click here to download a pdf of the letter.
We, the undersigned organizations dedicated to free, fair, and competitive markets, write in support of the confirmation of nominee Gail Slater for Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DoJ or Department). Slater would bring to the role a unique range of experience and expertise that will prove invaluable to the Department as it works to promote innovation and U.S. global competitiveness, particularly in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
Slater has extensive experience in antitrust law and enforcement. For a decade, Slater served as an antitrust attorney at the Federal Trade Commission in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, where she worked on significant merger cases and actions.
In a previous role in President Trump’s first administration, Slater helped shape policy on key issues, including antitrust, 5G wireless technology, cybersecurity, privacy, and national security. In the private sector, Slater continued to work on critical issues involving media technology and competition. Her diverse background and respected track record in technology policy makes her a fair-minded and competent pick for an agency that must uphold and enforce the laws in an increasingly digital world.
Slater understands how competition policy helps maximize innovation and protect consumers—from enhancing consumer choice to protecting data privacy and security. This important perspective will benefit the DoJ, which under the first Trump Administration began to investigate and bring cases against Big Tech companies for anticompetitive conduct that stifles innovation and competition in the marketplace. Aside from Big Tech, the Antitrust Division has done extensive and important work in areas such as shipping, health care middlemen, ticketing, food, and transportation.
The DoJ has proven that Google used exclusive contracts and other means to monopolize the search market. In a separate ongoing case, the Department unearthed compelling evidence that Google monopolized the advertising technology market, leading to higher advertising prices and lower revenues for content creators—harms that are passed onto consumers. Further, the DoJ is continuing a case against Apple for leveraging its gatekeeper power over the app ecosystem to suppress innovation and choice by extracting monopoly rents from developers and forcing anti-consumer terms on them.
The DoJ must have a fair and capable hand on the wheel not only to bring these cases to a just and pro-consumer conclusion, but also to ensure that U.S. antitrust laws continue to serve the American people in emerging technologies and markets—from artificial intelligence to quantum computing. As the U.S. continues to compete against China and others for global AI supremacy, a competitive marketplace is vital in ensuring that America maintains and expands its lead.
While a staunch conservative, Slater has demonstrated a unique ability to collaborate on a bipartisan basis with stakeholders across the political spectrum, building coalitions toward common goals. Given the important role of states in enforcing antitrust laws, this ability will serve the Department and the country well.
As China ramps up its efforts to unseat the U.S. as the global technology leader, time is of the essence. We urge the Senate Judiciary Committee and U.S. Senate to expedite Slater’s confirmation so that the DoJ and American people can benefit from her expertise as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Evan Swarztrauber
Senior Fellow
Foundation for American Innovation
Abigail Ball
Executive Director
American Compass
Matt Stoller
Director of Research
American Economic Liberties Project
Nick Solheim*
Chief Executive Officer
American Moment
Terry Schilling
President
American Principles Project
Aiden Buzzetti
President
Bull Moose Project
Eric Teetsel
Chief Executive Officer
Citizens for Renewing America
Rachel Bovard*
Vice President of Programs
Conservative Partnership Institute
Gerard Scimeca
Chairman
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy
Nathan Leamer
Executive Director
Digital First Project
Clare Morell*
Fellow
Ethics and Public Policy Center
Ryan Walker
Executive Vice President
Heritage Action
Sacha Haworth
Executive Director
Tech Oversight Project
Roslyn Layton, PhD
Senior Fellow
National Security Institute
*Affiliation listed for identification purposes only
