Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Backs Bill to Strip MLB of Antitrust Exemption

Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) announced today that she is an original cosponsor of a bill to strip the Major League Baseball (MLB) of its longstanding antitrust exemption. The bill follows MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's decision to move the league's All-Star game from Georgia after the state’s legislature passed an election security reform bill that has been severely misrepresented in the media and by Democratic politicians. The legislation Tenney cosponsored is authored by Congressman Jeff Duncan in the House and Senator Mike Lee in the Senate.

“MLB’s decision to move its All-Star game from Georgia to Colorado will hurt Atlanta’s small business owners during one of the most challenging times ever for America’s small businesses. The league’s decision was based on a dangerous and false narrative regarding Georgia’s election law, which is actually more expansive than laws in many other states across the country, including New York. The MLB is what it is today because Congress protects it from any competitors. The fact that it would use its influence to actively advance a disinformation campaign is just wrong. MLB should stop playing politics and just stick to playing baseball.” – Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

“Major League Baseball has enjoyed constitutionally questionable antitrust protections for a century, yet it has decided to act in a partisan manner by punishing the state of Georgia for completely reasonable voter integrity and election security legislation,” Duncan said. “Commissioner Manfred’s decision was ill-advised and will cost Atlanta small businesses, many of which are minority-owned, around $100M in economic activity. Furthermore, public polling has consistently shown overwhelming bipartisan support for voter ID laws, which are the cornerstone of the Georgia elections reform bill.

“This is just the latest in a wave of corporate decisions to ‘Go Woke.’ If companies or organizations want to undermine efforts to ensure the integrity of our elections process, then they invite increased scrutiny of their business practices. I urge Major League Baseball to reconsider this short-sighted decision, and I urge my colleagues to stand strong against the onslaught of the Woke Left on daily American life.”

The legislation is also being offered in the Senate by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), who serves as the ranking member of the Antitrust Subcommittee. Senator Lee is joined by Senators Ted Cruz (FL), Josh Hawley (MO), Marco Rubio (FL), and Marsha Blackburn (TN) as original cosponsors.

“Consumers benefit when businesses compete, and baseball is no different. In fact, a professional sports league should understand best of all the benefits of competition,” said Sen. Lee. “Instead, Major League Baseball has used its judicially fabricated antitrust immunity to suppress wages and divide up markets for decades—conduct that is plainly illegal, and sometimes criminal, in any other industry. We should have done this decades ago, but when billion-dollar businesses start engaging in political extortion it becomes even more pressing to end their special treatment.”

On the House side, there are 29 original cosponsors: Jim Jordan (OH), Ralph Norman (SC), William Timmons (SC), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Austin Scott (GA), Jody Hice (GA), Buddy Carter (GA), Rick Allen (GA), Andrew Clyde (GA), Chip Roy (TX), Louie Gohmert (TX), Randy Weber (TX), Brian Babin (TX), Pete Sessions (TX), Lance Gooden (TX), Paul Gosar (AZ), Andy Biggs (AZ), Jerry Carl (AL), Barry Moore (AL), Dan Bishop (NC), Yvette Herrell (NM), Greg Steube (FL), Mary Miller (IL), Claudia Tenney (NY), Scott Perry (PA), Rick Crawford (AR), Lauren Boebert (CO), Burgess Owens (UT), and Bob Good (VA). 

The original press release issued by Congressman Duncan's office can be found here.

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