Cicilline to Chair Antitrust Subcommittee—Inconsistent Record on Corporate Mergers
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Congressman David N. Cicilline will serve as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee for the next two years.
“When Republicans controlled Congress, working people were left behind,” said Cicilline. “Wall Street and the big corporations are doing fine. It’s time that Congress start working for working people again. As Chairman of the Antitrust Subcommittee, I’m going to make sure government starts working for the American people, not the special interests. We will get real work done to drive down the cost of prescription drugs and health care, hold big tech companies accountable, end anti-competitive conduct in the workplace, and make sure working men and women have access to justice and a voice in Washington.”
But Cicilline's records on mergers is inconsistent. He was an outspoken critic of the merger between Amazon and Whole Foods, but supported the much larger CVS acquisition of Aetna insurance.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“Competition is essential for a healthy economy. That’s true across the board. Amazon’s proposed purchase of Whole Foods could impact neighborhood grocery stores and hardworking consumers across America,” said Cicilline. “Congress has a responsibility to fully scrutinize this merger before it goes ahead. Failing to do so is a disservice to our constituents.”
According to the watchdog website OpenSecrets.org which monitors campaign donations, Cicilline received the 6th largest amount of donations from CVS Health of any member of Congress. Cicilline received $6,500 from the company.
Cicilline, who served as the top Democrat on the panel while the House was under Republican control, will have jurisdiction over a number of issues important to consumers and workers, including making prescription drugs and health care affordable, creating economic opportunity and financial security by cracking down on corporations that exploit workers, opening the courts by ending forced arbitration, and holding the Trump administration accountable for its reckless deregulatory agenda and persistent corruption. As DPCC Co-Chair for the past two years, Cicilline also ensured that antitrust and competition policy remained a major priority in the For The People agenda that Democrats embraced.
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