Independent Regulatory Agencies on Superphysics

Address TikTok’s threat to US national security

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Address TikTok’s threat to US national security

TikTok:

poses a serious and unacceptable risk to America’s national security.
allows Beijing to run a foreign influence campaign by determining the news and information that the app feeds to Americans

As of this writing, the Biden Administration’s Treasury Department has not announced a final decision concerning its long-pending review of TikTok. If that inaction persists, or if the Administration allows TikTok to continue to operate in the U.S., a new Administration should ban the application on national security grounds.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was authorized in 2010 by the Dodd–Frank Act.32 Since the Bureau’s inception, its status as an “independent” agency with no congressional oversight has been questioned in multiple court cases, and the agency has been assailed by critics33 as a shakedown mecha- nism to provide unaccountable funding to leftist nonprofits politically aligned with those who spearheaded its creation.

Federal Communications Commission

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mission Statement

The FCC is an independent regulatory agency that has jurisdiction over interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.1

Five Commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for fixed five-year terms.2 The FCC does not have any other presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed officials.

Federal Election Commission

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mission/Overview

Needed Reforms: Nomination Authority

The President’s most significant power is the appointment of the six commissioners who govern the FEC, subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Commissioners may only serve a single term of six years but

Federal Trade Commission

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mission/Overview

America’s antitrust laws are over a century old.

In 1890, the U.S. Congress enacted the Sherman Act, the first federal prohibition on trusts and restraints of trade.

The Clayton Act, adopted in 1914, builds on the Sherman Act. It outlaws price fixing while regulating mergers and acquisitions.

Financial Regulatory Agencies Securities And Exchange Commission And Related Agencies

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The laws governing capital markets are to:

deter and punish fraud and other material misstatements to investors
foster reasonable, scaled disclosure of information that is material to investors’ financial outcomes and proxy voting decisions
maintain fair, orderly, and efficient secondary capital markets.

The Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 19342 are nearly nine decades of rushed and haphazard amendments.

Independent Regulatory Agencies

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In addition to the executive departments and agencies discussed previously, a number of independent commissions exist that are loosely affiliated with the executive branch. In general, the President can appoint people to these commissions but cannot remove them, which makes them constitutionally prob- lematic in light of the Constitution’s having vested federal executive power in the President.

Policy Priorities

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The FCC needs to change course and bring new urgency to achieving four main goals:

Reining in Big Tech
Promoting national security
Unleashing economic prosperity
Ensuring FCC accountability and good governance

Reining in Big Tech

The FCC has an important role to play in addressing the threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market.

Should the FTC Enforce Antitrust—or Even Continue to Exist?

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Needed Reforms

Some conservatives think that antitrust enforcement should be invested solely in the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The FTC’s commissioners are not removable at will by the President.

Many reasonably believe this violates the Vesting Clause

Congress should investigate ESG practices as a cover for anticompetitive activity and possible unfair trade practices.