U.S. Congress legislation · 119th Congress
HJR203: Directing the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and report on anticompetitive practices and violations of the antitrust laws in the fire truck manufacturing industry.
Status: In committee, July 21, 2026
What the bill says
A resolution passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, to direct the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and report the facts relating to any alleged violations of the antitrust laws by any corporation; Whereas there have been credible allegations of violations of the antitrust laws in the fire truck manufacturing industry; Whereas the fire truck manufacturing industry has become increasingly consolidated over the last decade, largely due to serial acquisitions of independent fire truck manufacturers by private equity firms and larger manufacturers…
From the introduced text, July 21, 2026:
a resolution passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, to direct the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and report the facts relating to any alleged violations of the antitrust laws by any corporation; Whereas there have been credible allegations of violations of the antitrust laws in the fire truck manufacturing industry; Whereas the fire truck manufacturing industry has become increasingly consolidated over the last decade, largely due to serial acquisitions of independent fire truck manufacturers by private equity firms and larger manufacturers; Whereas the Merger Guidelines issued by the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice clarify that the antitrust agencies may examine the cumulative effect of a whole series of acquisitions if an individual transaction is part of a firm's pattern or strategy of multiple acquisitions; Whereas 3 companies control 70 to 80 percent of the fire truck manufacturing market; Whereas dominant fire truck manufacturers have allegedly used their market power to increase fire truck prices to the point that fire trucks are unattainable for fire departments; Whereas, between 2013 and 2023, the price for a pumper truck increased from $500,000 to nearly $1,000,000, and the price for a ladder truck increased from $900,000 to nearly $2,000,000; Whereas the prices of fire trucks have far outpaced inflation for heavy duty truck manufacturing from 2013 to 2023; Whereas, …