To the Members of the United States Congress:
On behalf of the undersigned state and local chambers of commerce from 46 states, we strongly oppose recent legislation that would fundamentally rewrite America’s antitrust laws to protect competitors rather than consumers. Bills like S. 2992, the “American Innovation and Choice Online Act,” and S. 2710, the “Open App Markets Act,” would lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers, discourage vigorous competition, and create different rules for American companies based on arbitrary criteria like market capitalization, while imposing no restraints on most foreign companies. Moreover, enactment of any of these bills would intensify calls for the federal government to pick winners and losers in the economy – an endless slippery slope.
For the past four decades, antitrust law has served as a successful example of bipartisanship, with members of both parties agreeing that the law should protect the welfare of consumers, rather than particular competitors. This consensus has created a stable legal framework across congresses and presidential administrations that has allowed America’s innovative economy to thrive and American consumers to benefit from quality goods and services at low prices.
This stability is threatened. The antitrust bills currently under consideration would shift the focus of antitrust from promoting competition to protecting competitors from competition. They would punish some companies for competing vigorously while leaving other companies free to engage in the exact same conduct. As a result, these bills would give federal agencies the power to micromanage large sectors of the economy. In the future, the federal government would decide whether a company can innovate, lower prices, or offer free shipping and other services – or whether such vigorous competition is unfair.
These bills would harm consumers by raising prices, fueling inflation, reducing investment, and damaging innovation. For instance, S. 2992 would bar covered companies from using data to develop competing products that are often less expensive and would bar certain companies from providing consumers with information about lower-cost alternatives. It may well ban companies from providing certain services to consumers at no cost.
Instead of rewriting the antitrust laws to protect competitors, we encourage Congress to ensure that federal agencies have the resources they need to address potential anticompetitive conduct in the marketplace, subject to appropriate oversight. Through this approach, Congress could preserve competition in the economy while maintaining the long bipartisan consensus that has served America well.
Sincerely,
National
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Alabama
Enterprise Chamber of Commerce
Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce
Shoals Chamber
Alaska
Haines Chamber of Commerce
Arizona
Apache Junction Area Chamber of Commerce
Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Chandler Chamber of Commerce
Glendale Chamber of Commerce
Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce
Greater Oro Valley Chamber
Greater Phoenix Chamber
Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce
Mesa Chamber of Commerce
Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of
Commerce
Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce
Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce
Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce
Tempe Chamber of Commerce
Tucson Metro Chamber
Arkansas
Arkansas State Chamber/AIA
Little Rock Regional Chamber
Rogers Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
California
Bay Area Council
Brea Chamber of Commerce
California Chamber of Commerce
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce
Fremont Chamber of Commerce
Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce
Gateway Chambers Alliance
Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of
Commerce
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles County Business Federation
Modesto Chamber of Commerce
Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce
North San Diego Business Chamber
Norwalk Chamber of Commerce
Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
Orange County Business Council
Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Rancho Cordova Area Chamber of Commerce
Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce
Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce
Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
San Jose Chamber of Commerce
San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce
San Pedro Chamber of Commerce
Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of
Commerce
Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce
Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce
Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce
South Bay Association of Chambers of
Commerce
Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce
Tracy Chamber of Commerce
Tulare Chamber of Commerce
USA Minority Chamber of Commerce
Valley Industry & Commerce Association
West Ventura County Business Alliance
Colorado
Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC
Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce
Vail Valley Partnership
Delaware
Delaware State Chamber of Commerce
Florida
Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce
The Osceola Chamber
Georgia
Ashburn Turner County Chamber of
Commerce
Barrow County Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
Hawaii
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Idaho
Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce
Idaho Chamber Alliance
Illinois
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of
Commerce
GLMV Chamber of Commerce
Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce
Lombard Chamber of Commerce
Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce
Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce
Indiana
Greater Lawrence Chamber
Indiana Chamber of Commerce
South Bend Regional Chamber
Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce
Iowa
Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce
Iowa Association of Business and Industry
Mason City Chamber of Commerce
Kansas
Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of
Commerce
Kentucky
Commerce Lexington Inc.
Greater Louisville Inc. - The Metro
Chamber of Commerce
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Louisiana
Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of
Commerce
Maine
Maine State Chamber of Commerce
Maryland
Maryland Chamber of Commerce
Olney Chamber of Commerce
Michigan
Greater Niles Chamber
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Michigan Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota
Austin Area Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
St Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce
Missouri
Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Mississippi
Mississippi Economic Council
Montana
Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Montana Chamber of Commerce
North Carolina
North Carolina Chamber
North Dakota
Chamber Grand Forks / East Grand Forks
Greater North Dakota Chamber
Nebraska
Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce
Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Nevada
Henderson Chamber of Commerce
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce
Vegas Chamber
New Hampshire
Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey
African American Chamber of Commerce of
New Jersey
Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce
New Mexico
Gallup McKinley County Chamber of
Commerce
New Mexico Chamber of Commerce
White Pine Chamber of Commerce
New York
Buffalo Niagara Partnership
Business Council of New York State, Inc.
Capital Region Chamber
Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce
Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce
North Country Chamber of Commerce
Ohio
Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce
Marian Area Chamber of Commerce
Ohio Chamber of Commerce
Reynoldsburg Chamber of Commerce
Solon Chamber of Commerce/Western Reserve
Safety Council
Sunbury Big Walnut Area Chamber of
Commerce
Union County Chamber of Commerce
Oklahoma
Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce
State Chamber of Oklahoma
Oregon
Heppner Chamber of Commerce
Portland Business Alliance
Pennsylvania
Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce
Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and
Industry
Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce
Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of
Commerce
Rhode Island
Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce
South Dakota
Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce
Tennessee
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce
Seguin and Guadalupe County Area Chamber
of Commerce
Texas
Abilene Chamber of Commerce
Central Fort Bend Chamber
Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of
Commerce
Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce
Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce
Ingleside Chamber of Commerce
Longview Chamber of Commerce
Mansfield Area Chamber of Commerce
North Texas Commission
Rowlett Area Chamber & Visitors Center
Sherman Chamber of Commerce
South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce
Texarkana Chamber of Commerce
Utah
Salt Lake Chamber
South Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
South Valley Chamber
Virginia
Hopewell/Prince George Chamber of
Commerce
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Washington
Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce
Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce
Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce
Washington Retail Association
West Virginia
Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Wisconsin
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
Wyoming
Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce
Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce
