U.S. Chamber: Latest FTC Lawsuit a ‘Political Last Gasp’ at Robinson-Patman Revival

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of International Regulatory Affairs and Antitrust Sean Heather issued the following statement regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) lawsuit against Southern Glazer.

"This case is the latest antitrust folly, marked by a partisan attack on rebates that is ultimately inflationary. Today’s lawsuit encapsulates the worst features of this administration’s failed approach to antitrust enforcement: it disregards basic economics, decades of legal precedent, and consumer interests. The alcohol industry is highly regulated, with rebates in the sector overseen at both the federal and state levels, though not by the FTC. Further, the timing of this lawsuit is clearly a political last gasp effort to revitalize nonsensical Robinson-Patman theories of harm that have long been discarded."