WASHINGTON – Following the announcement that European regulators charged U.S.-based Apple Inc. under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), Competitiveness Coalition Chair Scott Brown blasted the Biden Administration for standing idly by as European regulators hamstring American success stories:

“The EU’s action against Apple cements one basic truth: when it comes to standing up for the American economy, President Biden, FTC Chair Lina Khan and this entire Administration want to erode our independence and put us back under the thumb of Europe,” said Chair Scott Brown. “Instead of taking on the EU for passing a protectionist law that goes after American businesses, this Administration—through the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department —dispatched agency staff to Brussels to assist with implementation. Anyone who has been paying attention to how European regulators are clamping down on U.S. businesses should be horrified by this latest move, but they should not be surprised.

“As the Fourth of July approaches, someone needs to tell Biden and Khan that we’re supposed to be celebrating our independence from Europe, not handing control of our economy to them,” concluded Brown.

The DMA, which took effect in March 2024, targets America’s tech sector, as 21 of the 22 core platform services obligated to meet the law’s unprecedented mandates (such as forced data sharing, interoperability) are U.S. companies. 

Last year, the Competitiveness Coalition filed a records request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regarding the FTC’s involvement with the DMA. The request was sent in response to public reports that the FTC and DOJ dispatched respective taxpayer-funded agency officials to Brussels to help with implementation of EU antitrust law. The FOIA response documents shared by the FTC OIG demonstrate that the FTC and European Commission work closely together, and often exchange staff and remain in close touch with each other via email and occasional in-person meetings at conferences or visits to each other’s respective offices.

Since 2022, the Competitiveness Coalition has been sounding the alarm on the FTC’s and DOJ’s egregious overreach and concerning actions. To learn more about the Coalition’s work on this front, please visit www.competitivenesscoalition.com.

Members of the press can contact the coalition at press@competitivenesscoalition.com.

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The Competitiveness Coalition is a first-of-its-kind group educating the public and advocating for policies that put consumers first while fostering innovation and attracting new investment.