Mass layoffs in government are here. Oddly, the antitrust agencies aren’t affected. Or are they? Meanwhile, Trump Antitrust chief Gail Slater had her nominating hearing in the Senate last week.

So what’s the long-term effect? That’s not clear. Obviously the people being let go are going to be hurt, and certain regions will likely experience economic pain. But will these firings actually affect the country more broadly? There’s clearly a lot of waste in government, but the idea that it’s all waste seems exaggerated. I suspect the Federal government is so pervasive, and there’s so much in our society that runs on it, that we won’t realize what’s gone for some time. So I’d like to hear from you. If you’re a reader of BIG and you work in government or in a company or organization funded by government, please consider filling out this survey that I put together, especially if you are concerned about layoffs. The basic idea is to give us some sense of how Americans will be affected by the cuts.

And now let’s get to the second event, which is antitrust chief nominee Gail Slater, a former J.D. Vance staffer, having her nomination hearing in the Senate on Wednesday. It’s unusual for the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division to be appointed so quickly, which means that this area is something Trump cares about. And indeed, while the right is trying to shake up government, the one part of the Biden agenda they haven’t rejected is antitrust. For instance, the Trump Antitrust Division recently challenged a big tech merger, which shocked Wall Street. Then, a few weeks ago, DOJ lawyers argued in a Google case the way they would have were Biden still in charge. Finally, last week, the FTC and DOJ oversaw a regulation on merger notifications go into effect, eschewing the broader pause on updating rules.