Budget cuts push the Antitrust Division to shift its litigation portfolio toward criminal cartel cases (price-fixing, bid-rigging), which are the easiest to win because they fall under the per se rule.
💫 New Issue Highlight:
How do public agencies decide which programs to prioritize when their budgets get cut?
This comes at the expense of nonmerger civil cases in the short term and merger cases in the long term. The shift isn't about doing less, it's a strategic move to boost performance metrics, signal competence to Congress, and rebuild the case for future funding.