The White House Competition Council will convene for the second time on Monday, according to information provided by government agencies, Reuters reports.
Officials from two government agencies informed Reuters that their departments intended to attend the conference. The White House has not confirmed the meeting yet but announced that President Joe Biden will gather officials of his cabinet on Monday to discuss initiatives to reduce prices for working people.
In July, Biden signed a broad executive order aimed at increasing competition in the US economy, instructing agencies to impose restrictions on anti-competitive behaviors in a variety of industries, including agriculture, medicines, and labor. The council was established as a result of that decree, and it met for the first time in September.
Labor, healthcare, technology, and agriculture were among the industries targeted by the July decree. According to the White House, weaker competitiveness drives up costs for consumers and lower earnings for employees.
The Competition Council is overseen by the White House National Economic Council director and it involves representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, and Transportation, along with the chairs of the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Federal Communications Commission.
In numerous areas, notably the US beef business, the Biden administration has made efforts to increase competition.
In September, the Department of Justice attempted to disrupt a partnership involving American Airlines and JetBlue Airways Corp.
Last week, antitrust regulators in the United States revealed intentions to modify merger criteria in order to better combat improper mergers.
According to the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. businesses have gotten more consolidated, and a boom in merger files in 2020 and 2021 indicates that the issue will worsen.
The second meeting of the group would take place at a time when Congress is scrutinizing technology corporations. A Senate committee adopted a bill last week that would prevent technology superstars like Amazon from prioritizing their own firms on their websites.
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