FTC’s Proposed Budget Trims Staff

A review of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 may shed light on the FTC’s activities for the near future.

The proposed budget requests a decrease in funds of more than $42 million, including a reduction of over $18 million to the Bureau of Consumer Protection and over $23 million in cuts to the Bureau of Competition. These reductions result in 32 and 51 fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs), respectively. According to the proposed budget, the decrease in FTEs at the Bureau of Competition includes the Premerger Notification Office and the Merger and Joint Venture Enforcement Program, resulting in 25 fewer FTEs combined. Similarly, the proposed budget trims the nonmerger enforcement staff by 17 FTEs.

Despite these cuts, the proposed budget states, “The FTC will continue to prioritize merger enforcement, especially premerger review of proposed transactions reported to the antitrust agencies pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino [HSR] Act, 15 U.S.C. 18a.” It further notes that the new HSR Premerger Notification and Report Form will allow the premerger review process to be “more effective and efficient.” The proposed budget also reaffirms the FTC’s determination to “prioritize investigation and prosecution of anticompetitive labor market conduct.” 

It remains to be seen whether such a decreased staff can effectively fulfill the proposed budget’s mandate.

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