WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Wednesday in response to the Department of Justice’s Tuesday announcement that the Department’s Antitrust Division would begin a review of market-leading online platforms.

“The recent announcement by the Antitrust Division that it will conduct a review of competitive conditions in the online marketplace further highlights the absurdity of having two federal agencies responsible for civil antitrust enforcement. Indeed, what’s evident from this latest institutional tug-of-war is that the Antitrust Division and FTC are now actively battling each other to take the lead in pursuing Big Tech,” Sen. Lee said.

“While it is laudable that our antitrust enforcers are seeking to root out potential anticompetitive conduct in the tech industry, their duplicative reviews will inevitably waste government resources and lead to the agencies taking contradictory positions on the same issues. Moreover, without clear guidance, dual enforcement will leave industry in confusion as to what to expect from regulators or even what laws will specifically apply to their operations,” Sen. Lee continued.

“In such an important area of the economy as technology, effective antitrust enforcement is critical. I look forward to exploring these issues when the Antitrust Subcommittee holds is oversight hearing on September 17,” Sen. Lee finished.