The name missing from the Senate antitrust bill

Sen Mike Lee (R-UT), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary antitrust panel, is nowhere to be found on the list of senators sponsoring the bipartisan antitrust bill slated to be introduced next week. The effort, led by Senate Judiciary antitrust Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senate Judiciary ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA), is the latest move in Congress’ efforts to rein in the tech giants. Lee has previously said that he opposes the House Judiciary package because he views it as government regulation dressed up as antitrust reform. Another concern of his: Those bills are too targeted. In contrast, antitrust bills that Lee has supported — including one with Klobuchar that would allow state attorneys general to decide where their antitrust cases are heard — have been broad enough to affect all industries. “America is facing a panoply of competition concerns not just in Big Tech, but across our entire economy,” he said this summer while introducing a separate antitrust bill with Grassley. “We need a holistic approach that deals with all of these concerns, and that benefits all consumers, in every industry — without massively increasing regulation and imposing a command-and-control grip over the economy.