Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio and chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, recently tried to quietly insert a sweeping measure into a federal spending bill — one that would have gutted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Critics say this wasn’t just bad policy; it was a calculated act of corruption designed to shield billionaires and corporate giants from accountability.
The provision Jordan attempted to sneak in would have stripped the FTC of much of its authority and handed its staff and resources to the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division — but without transferring the unique powers Congress originally gave the FTC. This would have effectively dismantled the agency’s ability to regulate corporate monopolies, undermining over a century of antitrust protections.
Why would Jordan do this? The answer seems disturbingly clear: The FTC has been aggressively pursuing lawsuits against healthcare giants and tech monopolies, including Amazon. It has blocked dangerous mergers like Kroger-Albertsons and taken aim at the pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that control nearly 80% of drug pricing in the U.S. The agency has accused them of price gouging on life-saving medications like insulin and cancer drugs — actions that directly threaten the profits of some of the most powerful corporations in the country.
It’s no coincidence that these same corporations have deep financial and political ties to figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Trump, for example, attempted to illegally fire two Democratic FTC commissioners — including Alvaro Bedoya, who voted to sue Amazon and investigate PBMs. Bedoya warned that Jordan’s measure would have killed that lawsuit and the ongoing FTC investigation into massive markups on cancer drugs.
Jordan has used his position not to defend the public interest, but to attack the FTC on behalf of billionaires. In 2023, his committee released a report accusing the FTC of “harassing” Elon Musk, whose companies are under increasing scrutiny for data abuses and questionable access to sensitive government information. Musk, one of Trump’s most vocal allies, stands to benefit directly from Jordan’s efforts to defang regulators.
When asked, Jordan claimed the measure was about reducing “over-regulation.” But that’s a smokescreen. The language in his proposal was not a mere reform — it was a deliberate attempt to strip the FTC of its enforcement powers, disable ongoing investigations, and protect monopolistic behavior. It would have left Americans more vulnerable to rising drug costs, invasive tech practices, and unchecked corporate abuse.
This is not just ideological overreach. It’s corruption, plain and simple. Jim Jordan has made himself a tool of the ultra-rich — willing to dismantle the very institutions meant to protect competition, fairness, and consumer rights, all to serve a handful of powerful allies.
His office declined to comment. But the silence speaks volumes.
