The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently reassessed previous remarks suggesting that a shortage of resources could hinder its readiness for a September trial concerning Amazon’s Prime program. Initially, FTC attorney Jonathan Cohen had requested a delay of the trial from a federal judge due to staffing and budget issues.
However, the agency later contradicted these assertions in a court-submitted letter addressed to U.S. District Judge John Chun. “I want to clarify comments I made today: I was wrong,” Cohen stated, emphasizing that the FTC is not facing resource limitations and is fully prepared for the litigation.
In a subsequent statement, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson confirmed the inaccuracy of Cohen’s original comments. “The attorney was wrong,” Ferguson asserted, highlighting his commitment to dedicating the necessary resources to the case and emphasizing that the agency is steadfast in challenging Big Tech.
The comments from Cohen surfaced during a period when federal agencies are navigating cost-reduction measures spurred by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE. During the Wednesday hearing, Cohen mentioned that some employees had left the FTC following a directive issued by the administration earlier in the year and that other vacant positions remain unfilled due to a hiring freeze.
This trial stems from a lawsuit filed by the FTC in 2023, accusing Amazon of automatically enrolling consumers into its Prime service without their explicit consent and complicating the cancellation process. As of now, there has been no immediate response from Amazon regarding these developments.
