Soon, we’ll vote on the nomination of Gail Slater to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division.
I support her nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
Antitrust is important to me, as it is to most senators.
I’ve long been concerned about market concentration and anti-competitive practices in industries that impact Iowans – whether it’s agriculture, healthcare or technology.
These issues don’t get the most attention around the United States Senate, but they still impact millions of Americans.
Family farmers and independent producers deserve fair prices for their products. Seniors deserve affordable prescription drugs. Children deserve to be safe from predatory behavior on dominant tech platforms.
All of these are antitrust issues.
Attorney General Bondi told me during her confirmation process that she shares my interest in these issues, and that she’d work with me and the Antitrust Division to address these issues.
There’s no better person to help her with this project than Gail Slater.
Ms. Slater has the right qualifications for this job. She spent several years practicing antitrust law in private practice, before spending a decade at the Federal Trade Commission handling antitrust investigations and litigation.
In these roles, she learned the nuts and bolts of antitrust enforcement.
Ms. Slater also understands antitrust and economics from a policy perspective.
You know she served in President Trump’s first administration on the National Economic Council, and she served now-Vice President Vance as his Economic Policy Advisor and a member of his Senate staff.
So, Ms. Slater has numerous accomplishments in the antitrust space.
I’m not the only one who thinks Ms. Slater is the right person for the job.
She has received letters of support from nine previous heads of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
These men and women were appointed by presidents of both political parties and they wrote, “Ms. Slater has the experience, intelligence, judgement and leadership skills necessary to serve as an excellent Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division.”
Another bipartisan coalition letter commends her “unique ability to collaborate on a bipartisan basis with stakeholders across the political spectrum, building coalitions towards common goals.”
And, as it might surprise you, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that they support her nomination.
In a rare sign of unity in the Judiciary Committee I chair — where we don’t get a lot of unity — Ms. Slater was advanced out of committee by 20 yes-votes to two [no]-votes.
I hope for a similarly strong bipartisan vote here on the floor.
The antitrust division will flourish under Ms. Slater’s strong leadership, and I’m proud to support her.
She’s ready to serve our country, and we need to get her confirmed quickly.
-30-