President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Friday that’s intended to promote fairer business competition in the United States — and includes more than 70 different initiatives across a number of economic sectors, including technology and healthcare.
The White House said Biden’s order aims to address agriculture, banking and the Internet and will set federal-level rules to affect all corners of the economy — “to reduce the trend of corporate consolidation,” help small businesses compete and benefit American consumers and workers.
“Today’s historic executive order established a whole-of-government effort to promote competition in the American economy,” the White House said in a statement. “The order includes 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies to promptly tackle some of the most pressing competition problems across our economy.”
FACT SHEET: Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy
The order bans or sets limits for non-compete agreements, supports programs that safely import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, allows hearing aids to be sold over the counter and makes it easier for travelers to get refunds from airlines and shop for flights.
Biden’s action also seeks to increase competition, make Internet broadband service more affordable and stimulate innovation and competition among tech companies.
“[A] lack of competition drives up prices for consumers. As fewer large players have controlled more of the market, mark-ups (charges over cost) have tripled,” the White House said. “Families are paying higher prices for necessities — things like prescription drugs, hearing aids, and Internet service.
“Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation.”
The order bans excessive early termination fees, requires clear disclosure of Internet plan costs and ends landlord exclusivity arrangements for tenants. It also urges regulators to reinstate Obama-era net neutrality rules, a principle that calls for providers to give access to all websites and content at the same speed.
Among the many goals of the initiatives are:Making it easier to change jobs and raise wages by banning or limiting “unnecessary, cumbersome occupational licensing requirements that impede economic mobility.”Making it easier and less expensive to change banks by requiring institutions.Increasing opportunities for small businesses by directing federal agencies to promote greater competition.Establishes a White House Competition Council to monitor progress and coordinate the federal response to the “rising power of large corporations.”Encouraging regulators and the Justice Department to strengthen antitrust guidance to “prevent employers from collaborating to suppress wages or reduce benefits by sharing wage and benefit information with one another.”Bolstering hospital price transparency rules and finish federal legislation to address surprise hospital billing.Preventing Internet service providers from making deals with landlords that limit tenants’ choices.Restoring Net Neutrality rules “undone by the prior administration.”
Biden will sign the order and expand on the strategy during an event at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
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Another executive order, of course.
Joe, you were handed a roaring economy with low consumer costs. Idiot.
I see Solyndra 2.0 coming along with businesses with minority front people getting loans and grants–all with a little going back to “the big guy.” When did corruption become business as usual for government?
“When did corruption become business as usual for government”?
When the clintons were in the white house.
HELL, further back than that. CORRUPTION WAS RIFE in chicago and NY since the late 1800s/early 1900s…
remember the $5 billion waste on the Obamacare website that failed to work properly, wow talk about corruption !
hold on… I THOUGHT
“Executive orders, are the TOOLS OF TYRANTS”… Isn’t that what the entire left said, towards EVERY EO Trump tried to implement?!
AND WHERE ARE THE GOP IN SUING THIS, to block it?!
Let me stop laughing! Oh, where was I, on the first day of office and executive order that put around ten to eleven thousand people out of work not to mention auxiliary workers which could be ten to twenty thousand more, on top of which Canada is now suing for BAD faith. Talk of raising taxes and adding regulations is not encouraging to smaller businesses after the botched racist program already tried. The only word from this administration about the eCONomy is CON jobs available.
bejing biden could care less for mainstream amaericans we are nothing but servants to the slavery party of democrats.
he will destroy whats left of the middle class.
What’s the difference in what Biden’s doing, ruling by executive order and a dictator ruling by decree? Darned if I can see a difference! Why wait for a legislature to pass laws, when good King Biden can rule from his throne so much quicker? Question is, what happens when a benevolent despot no longer sits on the throne and a brutal tyrant occupies the throne? Fools and blind!!
Which is why Executive Orders need limited for every President.
NO NOT LIMITED BUT PROHIBITED which it is in Article One, Section One of the Constitution.
Read it for yourself.
THEN WHY have the courts, NOT STEPPED UP to stop all those EO’s from happening?!?!?!?
THERE IS None.. IN FACT, they even tried to call TRUMP A TYRANT< for using Executive orders, durin his last 2 years in…
Just remember who’s the puppeteer, working to “fundamentally change the United States of America.”
A brutal tyrant occupies the throne now.
Biden would be proven mentally incompetent if he were neurologically tested by an honest doctor. He has no business signing for a pizza, let alone EOs negatively affecting millions of people.
Anyone with eyes can see it. An honest doctor won’t get inside the beltway for another three years minimum.
Whatever the Cheater-in chief says is a lie. He is willing to tell you anything to further his power grab.
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help!”
IF anyone were to READ the Constitution, they would quickly see that Article One, Section One clearly prohibits all Executive Orders. Thus ALL are unconstitutional and null and void. Do not obey or respect any EO.