National Review Op-Ed: Europe Is Going After America’s Biggest Companies. Trump Must Push Back
- Ashley Baker
- Sep 12
- 1 min read
The administration should leverage an essential legal tool against unfair practices in digital markets.
Op-Ed Published in National Review by CFJ Executive Director Ashley Baker:
Europe’s campaign to undermine American tech is finally getting the attention it deserves. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing examining how EU laws like the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) are being used to censor speech, punish U.S. companies, and tilt digital markets in favor of European firms.
It’s a welcome shift in tone — both from lawmakers and Washington more broadly. Fresh off a decisive win in the July 27 U.S.–EU trade agreement, the Trump administration has already begun responding to Europe’s so-called “digital sovereignty” campaign. Just recently, the State Department ordered U.S. diplomats across Europe to launch an opposition campaign against the DSA.
The directive signals Washington’s readiness to escalate if Europe continues deploying digital policy as a tool of discrimination.
And if persuasion fails, Section 301 should be the next step. This provision of the U.S. Trade Act empowers the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate and respond to foreign trade practices that are unfair, discriminatory, or restrictive to U.S. commerce...
