FTC Claims That It Can’t Take on Amazon Case Due to DOGE Cuts, Then Changes Its Mind

Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission claimed that it could not pursue a case against Amazon due to the large resource and budget cuts being made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. However, in a bizarre reversal, the company took back its previous statements, claiming that the FTC did, indeed, have the resources to move forward with the case. The trial case in question involves Amazon’s alleged manipulative practices in signing users up for subscriptions. At a hearing on Wednesday, Jonathan Cohen, an attorney for the FTC, asked US District Judge John Chun to delay the trial until September due to the resource and personnel shortfalls at the agency, Bloomberg reports. “We have lost employees in the agency, in our division, and on our case team,” Cohen told the judge, further noting that “there is an extremely severe resource shortfall in terms of money and personnel.” Cohen further said that the agency was so strapped that it “may not be able to purchase the ... Read full article.