Throughout his campaign, President Donald Trump railed against concentrated economic power, promising to take on monopolies, banks, and other firms that put their corporate interests ahead of the American people. Yet, Trump has signed executive orders and put forward agency nominees that intend to undo important consumer and regulatory protections and concentrate economic power even further. And in one of his most important first acts as president, Trump nominated conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. A former corporate defense attorney and antitrust expert, Gorsuch, if confirmed, could have a dramatic impact on antitrust law, labor law, and other areas that affect consumers, workers, and the middle class.
On Monday, March 13, the Center for American Progress will explore the concentration of economic power in America, the role that conservative legal philosophy has played in enabling it, and what the Gorsuch nomination means for its future. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the ranking member of its Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, will kick off the event with remarks about the growing concentration of economic power; steps we can take to make antitrust enforcement a more effective tool to address this problem; and the broader economic benefits vigorous enforcement will provide to workers, consumers, and small businesses.
A panel of legal experts will follow with a discussion of the ways the growing wave of concentration—as well as the Trump administration’s changes to the nation’s administrative, civil rights, and other laws—affect the lives of everyday Americans and what the Gorsuch nomination may mean for the future.
Introductory remarks:
Winnie Stachelberg, Executive Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress
Opening keynote:
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Featured panelists:
Todd A. Cox, Director of Policy, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Deepak Gupta, Founding Partner, Gupta Wessler
Jonathan Kanter, Partner, Antitrust Group, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Lillian Salerno, former USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development
Elizabeth Wydra, President, Constitutional Accountability Center
Moderator:
Sabeel Rahman, Assistant Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School