August 15, 2025

Hold onto your hats! U.S. President Donald Trump turned heads on Wednesday by canceling a big 2021 executive order made by Joe Biden. This order was all about promoting competition in the American economy. Biden's plan, signed in July 2021, was a fierce fight against corporate bullies causing trouble in areas like farming, drug prices, and workers’ pay. The goal? To stop companies from pushing hard and raising costs for everyday people. But Trump, the Republican, didn’t think so. The White House said he threw Biden’s order out the window, choosing a different path. The Justice Department cheered Trump’s move, saying they want an “America First Antitrust” plan — one that trusts free markets instead of Biden’s “overly prescriptive and burdensome approach.” They added they are speeding up how they check big mergers under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and using more direct but smarter legal settlements. Biden’s 2021 order was a big deal for many Americans. It helped clamp down on annoying fees like those from airlines and stopped giant mergers that could lead to higher prices for shoppers. This effort was loved by many, especially since top Biden officials had ties to Senator Elizabeth Warren. Remember Warren? She helped build the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Obama, keeping a close eye on companies. Trump has not been a fan of that agency. When he took charge, he wanted to cut its staff by 90%. Experts say this has cost Americans a whopping $18 billion through higher fees and less money returned to consumers cheated by big companies. That’s according to a study by the Student Borrower Protection Center and Consumer Federation of America. Hannah Garden-Monheit, Biden’s director of competition policy, did not hold back. She said Trump’s move breaks his promise to protect everyday Americans. “This shows President Trump's claim he would 'Make America Competitive Again' was a sham. Instead of enforcing the competition laws, he's throwing Main Street businesses and workers under the bus while doing favors for the rich and powerful," she declared. So, what’s next? Will this shake-up help or hurt America’s consumers and workers? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure — the US antitrust game just got spicy!

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Tags: Donald trump, Joe biden, Executive order, Competition, Antitrust, Us economy,