Since President Donald Trump has reduced the federal government’s consumer protection work, state attorneys general are taking on a more significant role in fighting high prices and investigating businesses. Consumer protection work has been a growing focus of state AGs from both parties, and the change follows Trump’s dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

State AGs Take Action

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, president of the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General, said states are working to fill the void left by the federal government. Tong launched a national affordability campaign aimed at using state laws to drive down consumer costs. States have the power to tackle affordability by targeting unfair and deceptive business practices.

Republican and Democratic attorneys general are teaming up to use state laws and enforce federal laws to go after alleged antitrust violations, deceptive marketing practices, and price gouging. For example, 33 states and Washington, D.C., continued with a trial against Live Nation Entertainment, ultimately convincing a federal jury that Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly and harmed consumers.

Challenges and Limitations

While state AGs are increasing their efforts, they cannot fully replace the breadth of work once undertaken by the federal government. The growing interest in large, multistate cases can divert attorneys general office resources from other pressing local consumer matters. State AGs must also devote resources to criminal and civil state court cases and local business complaints.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.