Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights

The Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights Subcommittee is one of eight subcommittees within the Senate Judiciary Committee. It serves as a specialized panel that conducts initial hearings and reviews legislation related to competition law and antitrust enforcement. While the full Judiciary Committee must ultimately report any bills to the Senate floor, this subcommittee prepares the groundwork by examining specific competition and antitrust issues in depth.

The subcommittee's jurisdiction covers oversight of antitrust law and competition policy, including the Sherman, Clayton, and Federal Trade Commission Acts. It also oversees antitrust enforcement at the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission, and monitors competition policy across other federal agencies. This narrow focus allows the subcommittee to develop expertise in how markets function, when consolidation harms consumers, and whether federal enforcement agencies are adequately protecting competition.

The subcommittee is chaired by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) serving as Ranking Member. Recent activity includes a February 2026 hearing examining Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, where both the chair and ranking member raised concerns about market consolidation and its effects on competition, labor markets, and consumers. The subcommittee also held a September 2025 hearing on airline industry competition, examining consolidation among major carriers. In November 2025, Lee and Booker jointly filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging the end of professional baseball's antitrust exemption, demonstrating bipartisan focus on ensuring competition laws apply uniformly across industries.