FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Virgil McDill, vmcdill@ilsr.org, 202.294.9187
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2021) — The following statement was issued by Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, in response to the House Judiciary Committee’s vote approving a sweeping package of antitrust legislation to break up and rein in Big Tech.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that American democracy will ultimately prevail over the outsized power of Big Tech. Today’s bipartisan vote was a clear sign of the gathering momentum to break up Amazon and the other tech giants.
“We applaud Congressman Cicilline, Congresswoman Jayapal, Congressman Buck, and other members of the Committee for standing up to Big Tech. These corporations must not be allowed to continue to wield their extraordinary power to crush independent businesses, exploit working people, and harm communities.
“The Big Tech companies threw everything they had into this lobbying effort because they can see the writing on the wall. A majority of Americans agree that Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook have too much power and must be broken up to restore healthy markets and safeguard democracy.
“Although they tried, the tech lobbyists did not succeed in drowning out the voices of independent businesses, who have been adamant about the necessity of breaking up Amazon to end its abuses. Committee members cited and quoted small businesses throughout today’s markup.
“The vote today was also an important development in the effort to revitalize anti-monopoly policy, a key priority of ILSR’s. In several significant ways, the structural separation bill passed out of committee today marks a fundamental break with the failed approach to antitrust policy that has prevailed in recent decades.”
ILSR first called for Amazon to be broken up in 2016 and since then has produced numerous influential reports and articles about the company’s monopoly power. In 2019, Mitchell testified before the House antitrust subcommittee as part of the investigation that led to the bills voted on this week. For more on ILSR’s Amazon work, go here.
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About the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is a national research and advocacy organization working to reverse the concentration of corporate power and build thriving, equitable communities. www.ILSR.org
