Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is taking a victory lap after standing in the way of legislation that would increase fees on large company mergers, saying “antitrust zealots” are getting in the way of free market activity even as they hoard federal power.
“To them, big is always bad. Except, of course, when it comes to the size and scope of government,” Mr. Paul wrote in an op-ed for Fox News. “These antitrust activists tried to rush legislation through the Senate that would give government more power over the economy.”
Mr. Paul, a Republican and well-known libertarian, said he blocked the Senate from considering the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, which would have boosted fees on transactions worth more than $1 billion while reducing fees for mergers valued at less than $1 billion.