乔·拜登总统周五下午签署了一项范围广泛的行政命令，旨在最大限度地减少某些行业的垄断，增加公司之间的竞争，白宫认为这将通过压低价格来惠及消费者。
“美国资本主义的核心是一个简单的理念:公开、公平的竞争。这意味着，如果你的公司想赢得你的业务，他们必须走出去，他们必须提高他们的游戏。更好的价格和服务，新的想法和产品。这种竞争让经济保持增长。公平竞争是为什么资本主义一直是世界繁荣和增长的最大力量，”拜登在订单签署前的讲话中说。
他说，在“竞争经济”中，公司也必须竞争工人。
“提供更高的工资、更灵活的工作时间、更好的福利。但我们在过去几十年里看到的是，阻碍我们经济发展的竞争越来越少，注意力越来越集中。我们在大农业、大科技、大制药中看到了这一点。名单还在继续，”他继续说道。“他们不是在争夺消费者，而是在消费他们的竞争对手。他们不是在争夺工人，而是在寻找方法在劳动力上占据上风。政府经常让新公司更难进入和竞争。”
该行政命令针对航空旅行、劳工实践、肉类加工等，包含由十几个不同政府机构监督的72项举措。
以下是一些顺序:
它将允许苹果手机、电器和其他机器的所有者自己修理设备或在独立商店寻求修理，而不会取消保修保护。
它要求美国联邦航空局强制要求对丢失的行李和功能不正常的无线网络服务进行有效的航空退款。
它旨在通过敦促州和地方部落从加拿大进口更便宜的药物来降低处方药的价格，这一举措长期以来得到民主党人和前总统唐纳德·特朗普的支持。
助听器经常能让消费者花费数千美元，可以在订单下在柜台上出售。
该命令将鼓励联邦贸易委员会限制竞业限制协议，这些协议阻止工人寻找收入更高的工作，并影响约3000万至6000万美国人。它还鼓励联邦贸易委员会禁止对会计和美发等工作不必要的许可要求，这些工作因州而异，证明是负担，特别是对经常搬家的军人家庭。
“这不对。如果有人提供更好的工作，工人应该可以自由选择。如果你的雇主想留住你，他或她应该让你值得留下来。这种竞争会带来更高的工资和更高的工作尊严，”拜登在谈到竞业禁止协议时说。
白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基(Jen Psaki)周四表示，这些项目尤其“兑现了(拜登)竞选时的承诺，即促进劳动力市场的竞争，以提高工资，让工人更容易换工作和在各州之间流动。”
这些变化对美国人来说不会立即显现，因为行政命令只是启动了更长的规则制定和监管程序。一些行政行动只是建议，特别是在那些由联邦贸易委员会和联邦通信委员会管理的领域，这些机构是独立的机构，没有义务执行白宫的指令。
“没有竞争的资本主义不是资本主义。这是剥削，”拜登说。“没有健康的竞争，大玩家可以随心所欲地改变和收费，想怎么对待你就怎么对待你。对太多的美国人来说，这意味着接受一笔不能走的糟糕交易——你不能没有。”
Biden signs executive order aimed at increasing competition in US economy
President Joe Bidensigned a wide-ranging executive order Friday afternoon aimed at minimizing the stranglehold of monopolies on certain industries and increasing competition among companies, which the White House believes will benefit consumers by driving down prices.
"The heart of American capitalism is a simple idea: open and fair competition. That means that if your companies want to win your business, they have to go out, and they have to up their game. Better prices and services, new ideas and products. That competition keeps the economy moving and keeps it growing. Fair competition is why capitalism has been the world's greatest force of prosperity and growth," Biden said in remarks ahead of the order signing.
In a "competitive economy," companies must also compete for workers, he said.
"Offering higher wages, more flexible hours, better benefits. But what we've seen over the past few decades is less competition and more concentration that holds our economy back. We see it in big agriculture, in big tech, in big pharma. The list goes on," he continued. "Rather than competing for consumers, they are consuming their competitors. Rather than competing for workers, they're finding ways to gain the upper hand on labor. And too often, the government has actually made it harder for new companies to break in and compete."
Targeting air travel, labor practices, meat processing and more, the executive order contains 72 initiatives overseen by a dozen different government agencies.
Here is some of what's in the order:
It will allow owners of iPhones, appliances and other machinery to make repairs on their devices themselves or seek out repairs at independent shops without voiding warranty protections.
It requires the FAA to mandate efficient airline refunds for lost bags and dysfunctional WiFi service.
It aims to lower the price of prescription drugs by urging state and local tribes to import cheaper drugs from Canada, a move long supported by Democrats, and former President Donald Trump.
Hearing aids, which can often run consumers thousands of dollars, would be able to be sold over the counter under the order.
The order will encourage the FTC to limit non-compete agreements that prevent workers from seeking out better-paying jobs and affect some 30 to 60 million Americans. It also encourages the FTC to ban unnecessary licensing requirements for jobs like accounting and hairdressing, which differ from state to state and prove burdensome, especially for military families who frequently move.
"It's not right. Workers should be free to take a better job if someone offers it. If your employer wants to keep you, he or she should have to make it worth your while to stay. That's the kind of competition that leads to better wages and greater dignity of work," Biden said of non-compete agreements.
These items, in particular, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, are "fulfilling [Biden's] campaign promise to promote competition in labor markets in order to raise wages and make it easier for workers to change jobs and to move between states."
The changes won’t be immediately evident to Americans since the executive order merely kicks off longer rule-making and regulatory processes. Some of the executive actions are only recommendations, especially on those areas governed by the FTC and FCC, which are meant to be independent agencies not obligated to carry out White House directives.
"Capitalism without competition isn't capitalism. It's exploitation," Biden said. "Without healthy competition, big players can change and charge whatever they want, and treat you however they want. And for too many Americans, that means accepting a bad deal for things that can't go -- you can't go without."
