State attorneys general are having to pick up the slack in protecting consumers as President Donald Trump’s administration neglects corporate oversight, says Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown. 

Brown made comments alongside several of his counterparts from the West Coast and intermountain states during a May 11 press conference commenting on the need for their increasing involvement in prosecuting illegal mergers and monopolies. 

Nick Brown

“Big business monopolies lead to less consumer choice, less competition and higher prices,” Brown said in a statement. “Our office has repeatedly stepped up to take on these unfair practices and won, protecting consumers and holding big interests accountable.” 

Brown and his fellow attorneys general in Oregon, California, Nevada and New York said they have previously worked with the U.S. Department of Justice to pursue antitrust cases. But a mass exodus of federal prosecutors and less priority on enforcement during Trump’s second term has led them to largely continue cases alone. 

As one example, the Trump administration settled a highly publicized Live Nation/Ticketmaster case in March, against the wishes of the 34 states that had co-signed the landmark antitrust lawsuit. Brown and other state attorneys general continued the case and won in mid-April. 

Washington state’s AG Office has grown its antitrust division, which is funded by financial recoveries and settlements from successful cases, from four attorneys to 15 over the past 20 years.