Full interview: Sen. Amy Klobuchar on a new trustbusting era in the Senate

Published February 17, 2022 at 11:00 PM PST

Sen. Amy Klobuchar gives her opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 11, 2020. (Carolyn Kaster, Pool/AP)

Our special series More than money: The cost of monopolies in America is a week-long exploration of the hidden power of monopolies in the U.S., and the evolution of antitrust law over the past 200 years.

The idea that monopolies may not be great for the United States hasbipartisan cache right now, from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

But does Congress have the political will to make major changes to antitrust law?

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights. She’s also on the Judiciary Committee. Last month, the Judiciary Committee passed the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, an effort to target big tech companies for potential antitrust violations.

The bill proposes giving federal agencies the authority to issue civil penalties for anti-competitive activities in the tech sector.

Listen above to hear Sen. Klobuchar’s reflections on Senate action against monopolies in the digital age. And you can find all episodes of our series More than money here.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.