THE LATEST: DOJ Antitrust Chief Casts Doubt On Using "Behavioral Remedies" To Fix Problematic "Vertical" Mergers

WHAT HAPPENED:

• On Thursday, November 16, 2017, newly confirmed Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Makan Delrahim, speaking at the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law's Fall Forum, explained where antitrust enforcement fits in the broader Trump administration effort to reduce federal regulations.
• Delrahim remarked that "antitrust is law enforcement, it's not regulation." Antitrust enforcement "supports reducing regulation, by encouraging competitive markets that, as a result, require less government intervention." Delrahim explained that "[v]igorous antitrust enforcement plays an important role in building a less regulated economy in which innovation and business can thrive, and ultimately the American consumer can benefit." As a result, the government can minimize regulation related to price, quality, and investment.