“The FTC noncompete rule is a reasonable exercise of the FTC’s delegated authorities and I believe it is helpful for American workers, such as those who were let go from their jobs due to workplace vaccine mandates and then doubly injured when they were prohibited from job hunting,” Gaetz said.
While many Republicans still object to what they call a heavy governmental hand in regulatory enforcement, some prominent Republican lawmakers like Gaetz and Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, have praised the FTC for standing up to consolidation in big business and other antitrust issues.
In Tuesday’s brief, Gaetz argued that the noncompete rule is the result of an “extensive economic and legal inquiry” into the harms caused by the clauses that included considering some 26,000 public comments. The brief also said the challenge of the rule is more than just an academic inquiry into the commission’s authority because more than 30 million American workers are subject to noncompete clauses that reduce their wages by $30 billion each year.
