- President’s executive order to actively encourage competition
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2.57pm BST
Take a listen to the latest Politics Weekly Extra podcast: After a rocky few weeks for Kamala Harris, I spoke to Lawrence Haas, former communications director for Al Gore, about the ins and outs of being a successful second in command to the president.
2.36pm BST
According to a fact sheet released by the White House, the executive order that Joe Biden will sign today includes “72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies to promptly tackle some of the most pressing competition problems across our economy”.
Among other things, the order will ban or limit non-compete agreements to make it easier to change jobs and raise wages in certain industries.
2.29pm BST
Brian Deese, the director of the White House National Economic Council, described the executive order as an opportunity to reset anti-trust laws.
BREAKING: W.H. is rolling out an expansive Executive Order targeting corporate consolidations
“This is not just about monopolies but it’s about consolidation more generally and the lack of competition when you have a limited set of market players,” @BrianDeeseNEC tells @ylanmui pic.twitter.com/LTwyy8vRlH
2.29pm BST
Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.
Later today, Joe Biden will sign an executive order “promoting competition in the American economy,” according to his official schedule from the White House.
The White House is crafting an executive order aimed at promoting competition throughout the US economy, a move aimed at lessening the stranglehold of dominant players in industries ranging from banking and agriculture to shipping and air travel, according to three people familiar with the discussions. …
It would also mark a big shift in the government’s approach to the concerns about monopolies that have swelled during the 21st century: No longer content to just enforce antitrust laws, the Biden administration would use federal power to actively spark competition in a vast array of businesses.