The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice released final 2023 Merger Guidelines on December 18, 2023, representing a major departure from the consumer welfare standard that had guided antitrust enforcement for nearly half a century. The Guidelines signaled a move from the existing …
Federal Trade CommissionDepartment of JusticeLina KhanJonathan Kanterantitrustftcdojmerger-guidelinesregulatory-reform+2 more
On January 1, 2023, a critical reform to the “90/10 rule” governing for-profit college federal aid eligibility took effect, finally closing a decades-old loophole that had incentivized predatory targeting of military veterans and active-duty service members by for-profit colleges seeking …
U.S. Department of EducationVeterans Education SuccessConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)Holly PetraeusFor-Profit College Industry+1 morefor-profit-educationveteransgi-billregulatory-reformpredatory-recruitment+2 more
The U.S. Senate confirmed Jonathan Kanter as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice by a bipartisan vote of 68-29 on November 16, 2021, and he was sworn in the same day. Kanter’s confirmation came after the longest delay for a nominee to lead the …
Jonathan KanterDepartment of JusticeU.S. SenateAntitrust Divisionantitrustdojbiden-administrationregulatory-reformbig-tech+1 more
President Biden signed Executive Order 14036, ‘Promoting Competition in the American Economy,’ on July 9, 2021, launching what the administration characterized as the most comprehensive federal effort to promote competition since the New Deal. The executive order directed over a dozen …
Joe BidenFederal Trade CommissionDepartment of JusticeWhite House Competition Councilantitrustbiden-administrationcompetitionregulatory-reformexecutive-order+1 more
The U.S. Senate confirmed Lina Khan to the Federal Trade Commission by a bipartisan vote of 69-28 on June 15, 2021, and President Biden immediately named her chair of the five-member Commission. At 32, Khan became the youngest commissioner ever confirmed to the agency, let alone to lead it. Khan …
Lina KhanJoe BidenU.S. SenateFederal Trade Commissionantitrustftcbiden-administrationregulatory-reformlina-khan+1 more
On December 31, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act of 1970, establishing the most comprehensive air quality legislation in history. The act created national ambient air quality standards, gave the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency enforcement authority, set emission …
President Richard NixonSenator Edmund MuskieAmerican Petroleum InstituteNational Coal AssociationAutomotive Industry+1 moreenvironmental-regulationpublic-healthcorporate-lobbyingregulatory-reform
On December 29, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and establishing for the first time comprehensive federal authority to set and enforce workplace safety standards. The legislation responded …
President Richard NixonU.S. CongressAFL-CIONational Association of ManufacturersChamber of Commerceworker-rightsregulatory-reformcorporate-lobbyinglabor-movementpublic-health
On December 2, 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency began operations after President Richard Nixon’s Reorganization Plan No. 3 consolidated environmental programs scattered across fifteen federal agencies. The creation of EPA represented the first comprehensive federal approach to …
President Richard NixonWilliam RuckelshausCouncil on Environmental Qualityenvironmental-regulationregulatory-reformgovernment-reorganization
On December 15, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), prohibiting employment discrimination against workers aged 40 to 65 (later extended to all workers over 40). The law banned discrimination in hiring, firing, compensation, and terms of …
President Lyndon B. JohnsonU.S. CongressSecretary of Labor W. Willard WirtzChamber of Commerceworker-rightsdiscriminationregulatory-reformemployment
On September 9, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, establishing the first federal safety standards for automobiles and creating what would become the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The legislation passed unanimously after …
President Lyndon B. JohnsonRalph NaderGeneral MotorsJames RocheSenator Abraham Ribicoffconsumer-protectioncorporate-lobbyingregulatory-reformautomotive-industrywhistleblower
On July 4, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson reluctantly signed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), establishing for the first time a legal right for citizens to access federal agency records. The legislation overturned the presumption of government secrecy that had prevailed since the founding, …
President Lyndon B. JohnsonRepresentative John MossSenator Edward LongAmerican Society of Newspaper Editorsgovernment-transparencypress-freedomdemocratic-erosionregulatory-reform
On December 17, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Clean Air Act of 1963, the first federal legislation to establish a framework for controlling air pollution at the national level. The act authorized $95 million for research and state grants to develop pollution control programs, and gave …
President John F. KennedyPresident Lyndon B. JohnsonU.S. CongressAmerican Petroleum InstituteNational Coal Associationenvironmental-regulationpublic-healthcorporate-lobbyingregulatory-reform
On October 10, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed the Kefauver-Harris Amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, fundamentally transforming pharmaceutical regulation in the United States. The legislation, driven by the thalidomide disaster in Europe, required drug manufacturers to …
Senator Estes KefauverRepresentative Oren HarrisPresident John F. KennedyFrances KelseyRichardson-Merrell+1 moreregulatory-reformpharmaceutical-industrypublic-healthcorporate-lobbyingfda
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Clayton Antitrust Act, enhancing previous antitrust legislation and explicitly exempting labor unions from antitrust laws. Alabama Democrat Henry De Lamar Clayton Jr. introduced the legislation in anticipation of the Commission on Industrial Relations report. The …
President Woodrow WilsonHenry De Lamar Clayton Jr.Samuel GompersAmerican Federation of LaborE. Y. Webbprogressive-eraantitrustlabor-organizingregulatory-reform