A Big Deal: FTC And DOJ Issue Long-Awaited New Draft Merger Guidelines

On July 19, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice jointly published long-anticipated proposed merger guidelines (the "Proposed Merger Guidelines"), which had been expected since President Biden issued an Executive Order Promoting Competition in the American Economy in the summer of 2021. According to the agencies, the Proposed Merger Guidelines "build upon, expand, and clarify" the prior guidance,¹ to keep up with "modern" market realities.² In contrast to the previous versions, the Proposed Merger Guidelines cover both horizontal and vertical mergers. They also cite case law for the first time.³ Reflecting the Biden Administration's views on federal antitrust merger enforcement, the Proposed Merger Guidelines substantially expand the types of competitive harm the agencies consider grounds for challenging a transaction under Section 7 of the Clayton Act (which prohibits mergers where the effect is "substantially to lessen competition" or "to