WASHINGTON—Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today issued the following statement regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s Policy Statement on their use of “stand alone” Section 5 authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act.

“I am pleased to see that the FTC has taken a first step towards clarifying the applicability and scope of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Clarity is necessary both to ensure that enforcement pursuant to Section 5 does not vary with the make-up of the Commission, and to provide adequate guidance to businesses. With this policy statement, the FTC has made progress towards that goal by formally committing to positions that represent the general consensus of the antitrust bar as to how and when Section 5 should be applied. This is an important topic to the Antitrust Subcommittee and we look forward to exercising active oversight in this area.”

Senator Lee chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights.