Lina Khan sees parallels in Harris’ record and the FTC’s work

Now, with the presidential campaign in its final weeks, the outcome of the election and its potential impact on the economy are front and center.

In an extensive interview with New York Times which was published on Saturday, Khan looked back on her tenure and was asked about what might happen if Kamala Harris wins the election.

As for the race for the White House, Khan was pressed on whether she worries that her work could be cut short given doubts about whether she could stay in the next administration.

“I can’t predict what will happen in November or after that,” she replied.

She was then asked if she had received any indication that she would not be wanted in a Harris administration.

“No, I think it’s the opposite,” Khan said. “I saw the vice president noting how he was a prosecutor who took on illegal practices by corporations that were harming homeowners, that were harming patients, and that’s the work that the FTC is doing as well.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some billionaire donors to the Harris campaign have urged her to remove Khan and SEC Chairman Gary Gensler if she wins in November.

In turn, another Trump administration might look unfavorably on megamergers, especially in the tech sector. Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has expressed his support for Khan in the past.

“I don’t agree with Lina Khan on every issue, to be clear, but I think she’s been very smart in trying to go after some of these big tech companies that monopolize what we’re allowed to say in our own our country,” he said on CBS last month.

While Khan technically reached the end of her three-year term on Wednesday, she can continue to serve in the role until a replacement takes over.

Earlier in the Q&A with Timesshe took stock of its record and said the FTC had “racked up a lot of wins,” including a court victory in a merger case and a ruling in a consumer privacy case against a data broker .

She also expressed skepticism about the argument that a larger company’s acquisition of a smaller company can bring more efficiencies to the market by combining sufficient financial resources with new innovations.

Such efficiencies often don’t materialize, Khan said, adding that even when they do, companies don’t pass them on to consumers if there isn’t enough competition in the market.

This raised the question of whether the post-pandemic surge in inflation was fueled in part by industry consolidation and anti-competitive practices.

“If you don’t enforce antitrust, you allow decades of consolidation that can more easily create inflationary spikes because your system as a whole is less resilient to that disruption,” Khan said. “Secondly, a more concentrated market, when you have fewer players, will be able to coordinate more easily to raise prices or keep prices high.”