Speeches

Chairman Massie, Ranking Member Correa, Chairman Jordan, Ranking Member Nadler and distinguished members of the subcommittee, it’s an honor to appear before you today on behalf of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice.

I am honored to speak once again at the National Association of State Procurement Officials’ Law Institute. As noted in that very kind introduction, I am the Director of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force at the U.S. Department of Justice. And as you hear those words, you may be reminded of the Yogi Berra quip: “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” Because I have returned to talk about infrastructure, collusion risks and the ways we can work together.

Thank you for that warm introduction, Teddy. Thanks to the Capitol Forum for organizing this important conference in this iconic location. It is an honor to speak with you all today.

When I first learned about this event, a retrospective of a nearly 20-year-old cartel investigation seemed like a slightly odd subject. But then it occurred to me that this event offers an opportunity — not just to look back, but to think about how much enforcement has evolved and what’s on the horizon. Of course, over the decades we’ve kept the same core principles at the heart of our work: individual accountability, encouraging self-reporting and good corporate citizenship and, fundamentally, promoting competition and open markets. But while those principles have stayed the same, it’s not an exaggeration — though maybe it’s a cliché — to say almost everything else has changed.

Thank you very much, James, for that kind introduction. And thank you for putting together this incredible gathering of thinkers. It’s a pleasure to be with all of you today. 

Good morning and thank you for that kind introduction. This conference has been an antitrust policy highlight for many years. In fact, at the Third Annual Georgetown Antitrust Conference in 2009, the FTC and DOJ announced the public comment process that led to the 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines.

Good afternoon. Thank you, Davis, for the kind words of introduction. I also want to thank the Virginia Bar Association for the invitation to spend time with you today and our hosts, the University of Richmond Law School.

Thank you so much John (Mayo) for the kind introduction and to Georgetown for hosting this event. The last time we spoke was actually at the version of this event you all put together on the vertical merger guidelines. It’s great to be back.