Washington, D.C. 11/14/2023 – Today, the House Judiciary Committee held an oversight hearing where lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) actions that would undermine U.S. interests on the world stage and benefit foreign businesses at the expense of American companies.
“Today’s hearing laid bare how the DOJ has put adherence to extreme ideological theories over its duty to American consumers and businesses,” said Chandler Smith Costello, a spokeswoman for the Don’t Break What Works campaign. “As elected officials from both sides of the aisle pointed out today, the DOJ’s actions threaten to abdicate the United States’ global leadership by creating barriers for American businesses abroad and importing harmful E.U.-style regulations,” she continued.
During today’s hearing, lawmakers confronted DOJ policies that would hurt American companies operating abroad. Here’s the House Judiciary Committee leadership in their own words:
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan:
“This attorney general has inserted himself into trade negotiations. He’s tried to strip protections for due process rights in competitions and trade talks. His tactics have worked as the Commerce Department has backtracked on its initial position and no longer supports language from the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that protects American businesses. The Biden administration is no longer supporting language that appeared in President Trump’s US-Mexico-Canada agreement to protect Americans. The Attorney General may not be an international trade expert but he should know that the protectionist policies by foreign governments like the Chinese Communist Party protect foreign businesses and create barriers for American business. The DOJ under Assistant Attorney General Kanter has certainly got its fair share of losing.”
House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Ranking Member Lou Correa:
“Last year, the Biden administration raised concerns that the E.U. would not implement its Digital agenda fairly. As it turns out, the administration was right. The European Union, through its Digital Marketing Act, or DMA, has targeted American companies with unfair treatment…(Did) anyone in the DOJ speak to European Union officials at any point in the development or implementation of their DMA? The European Union has essentially designated gatekeepers. Of the 22 platforms named as gatekeepers, 21 are U.S. firms, and one is TikTok, but no European companies have been named as gatekeepers…Why has the administration essentially changed course and stopped advocating for the interests of U.S. companies?”
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