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President Biden: Denying the Right to Repair Raises Prices and Hurts Competition

January 28, 2022

Adding to his track record of supporting right to repair, President Joe Biden reiterated earlier this week that consumers should have the right to fix the products they own – however and wherever they choose. President Biden’s efforts mark a milestone in American history: he’s the first sitting president to lend clear support to the right to repair movement and acknowledge that manufacturers’ anticompetitive practices make it harder for consumers to repair the products they own.

President Biden Meets with the White House Competition Council

In comments made before the White House Competition Council’s second meeting, President Biden noted that unfair repair restrictions harm both businesses and consumers: “Denying the right to repair raises prices for consumers [and] means independent repair shops can’t compete for your business.”

He cited recent developments that will help make it “easier for millions of Americans” to repair their products—like Apple and Microsoft’s recently announced plans to expand their repair offerings and the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) unanimous vote to “ramp up enforcement against illegal repair restrictions.” He noted these steps forward will save consumers from “paying an arm and a leg” for repairs or prematurely throwing away products. However, the work needed to protect consumers’ right to repair doesn’t end with tech and consumer electronics. As the CAR Coalition notes in a recent piece, vehicle owners “must be included” in the right to repair movement, as well.

Members of Congress are increasingly speaking out in support of right to repair, too. Most recently, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called recent right to repair wins “common sense action to save people money,” and Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Jon Tester (D-MT) voiced strong support online as well. While these comments show growing momentum around repair issues, it’s time for Congress to take action and pass legislative right to repair protections. As columnists in National Review and Townhall have argued, both Democrats and Republicans should be able to find common ground in supporting and, most importantly, protecting Americans’ right to repair the products they purchase.

Advancing the bipartisan SMART Act through Congress should be the next step forward in the consumers-first right to repair movement. Get involved today!

Have you been impacted by car repair restrictions? Click HERE to tell your story.