WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement on the final Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Premerger Notification Rules released today by the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice.

"While the Agencies have been rightly pressured to scale back their expensive, radical vision for overhauling the merger notification process, this final rulemaking still holds the potential to unnecessarily target vertical mergers, private equity, and smaller acquisitions," said Sean Heather, Senior Vice President for Antitrust at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"Under the previous HSR process, the agencies already held the power to request more information on any merger that they want to scrutinize. According to the government’s own data, 98% of mergers do not raise competitive concerns. The increased burden the new rule imposes remains questionable.

"Increased bureaucracy will stifle innovation, reduce market efficiencies, and ultimately harm consumers who benefit from the competitive dynamics that mergers can foster.”