Biden "will tap Lina Khan." WSJ
4:11 PM
Lina Khan, Critic of Large Tech Firms, to Lead Federal Trade Commission
Biden to designate her as FTC chairman following Senate confirmation as commissioner on Tuesday, signaling tougher antitrust enforcement ahead
Lina Khan, who has argued that antitrust law has failed to restrain Amazon.com, testified at a Senate confirmation hearing in April.PHOTO: GRAEME JENNINGS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
By
Brent Kendall
Updated June 15, 2021 4:11 pm ET
WASHINGTON—The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Lina Khan for a seat on the Federal Trade Commission, and the White House plans to tap her to lead the agency, a post that will allow her to pursue aggressive enforcement of U.S. antitrust and consumer-protection laws.
Ms. Khan, a 32-year-old Columbia University law professor who has been a vocal critic of powerful technology companies, was confirmed on a 69-28 vote. With her confirmation secured, President Biden now will designate her as FTC chairman, according to a person familiar with the decision.
Democratic Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter has been running the FTC on an acting basis.
Ms. Khan has been the leader of a progressive movement that favors far-reaching changes to antitrust enforcement, saying the current decadeslong approach has done too little to restrain corporate dominance and stop mergers that have eroded competition.
The Senate’s vote was bipartisan, with 21 Republicans voting for Ms. Khan at a time when many in the GOP say the government should do more to rein in dominant tech firms. Still, some Republicans have criticized her approach as too interventionist and potentially burdensome for other industries.
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