An Early Conservative Victory in the War on Big Tech

Few issues have galvanized the conservative base in recent years quite like the threat of Big Tech. Persistent political censorship, from the suppression of reporting to the deplatforming of a sitting president, has given conservatives ample reason to be incensed. But a few conservative lawmakers, such as Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), have rightly diagnosed recurring Big Tech censorship not as isolated events, but as downstream symptoms of a much broader problem: monopoly power.

These aspiring conservative trust-busters have faced formidable headwinds. Fellow Republicans have questioned their fidelity to the free market and accused them of enabling the Left, while aggressive corporate lobbying and a hostile press beholden to Big Tech have tried to stymie their spirited legislative efforts.

But now, anti-monopoly conservatives can declare a major victory. On Thursday, the House passed the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022. Don’t let the anodyne name fool you; the antitrust package is a bold first step that will fortify national security, curtail corporate abuses, and restore free competition to core American markets.