S. HRG. 112–469 NOMINATIONS TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION NOVEMBER 15, 2011 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 74–999 PDF WASHINGTON : 2012 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 09:37 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 074999 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\74999.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Chairman DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas, Ranking JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine BARBARA BOXER, California JIM DEMINT, South Carolina BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia MARK PRYOR, Arkansas ROY BLUNT, Missouri CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota PATRICK J. TOOMEY, Pennsylvania TOM UDALL, New Mexico MARCO RUBIO, Florida MARK WARNER, Virginia KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire MARK BEGICH, Alaska DEAN HELLER, Nevada ELLEN L. DONESKI, Staff Director JAMES REID, Deputy Staff Director TODD BERTOSON, Republican Staff Director JARROD THOMPSON, Republican Deputy Staff Director REBECCA SEIDEL, Republican General Counsel and Chief Investigator (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 09:37 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 074999 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\74999.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on November 15, 2011 ...................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Rockefeller ........................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Lautenberg .......................................................................... 2 Statement of Senator Hutchison ............................................................................ 4 Statement of Senator Boxer .................................................................................... 5 Statement of Senator Pryor .................................................................................... 62 Statement of Senator McCaskill ............................................................................. 64 Statement of Senator Klobuchar ............................................................................ 66 Statement of Senator Ayotte ................................................................................... 68 Statement of Senator Boozman .............................................................................. 71 WITNESSES Hon. Herb Kohl, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin ..................................................... 3 Hon. Jon D. Leibowitz, Nomination to be Commissioner and Chairman, Fed- eral Trade Commission ........................................................................................ 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 Biographical information ................................................................................. 9 Dr. Rebecca M. Blank, Nomination to be Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce ......................................................................................................... 25 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 26 Biographical information ................................................................................. 28 Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Nomination to be Commissioner, Federal Trade Com- mission .................................................................................................................. 47 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 49 Biographical information ................................................................................. 50 APPENDIX Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Jon D. Leibowitz by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 79 Hon. Barbara Boxer ......................................................................................... 81 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 82 Hon. Frank R. Lautenberg ............................................................................... 87 Hon. Mark Pryor ............................................................................................... 87 Hon. Claire McCaskill ...................................................................................... 88 Hon. Tom Udall ................................................................................................ 90 Hon. Mark Warner ........................................................................................... 91 Hon. Mark Begich ............................................................................................. 94 Hon. John Thune .............................................................................................. 94 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 95 Hon. John Boozman ......................................................................................... 97 Hon. Patrick J. Toomey .................................................................................... 98 Hon. Kelly Ayotte ............................................................................................. 107 Response to written questions submitted to Dr. Rebecca M. Blank by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 109 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 110 Hon. Mark Pryor ............................................................................................... 111 Hon. Mark Warner ........................................................................................... 112 Hon. Mark Begich ............................................................................................. 115 Hon. Olympia J. Snowe .................................................................................... 117 Response to written questions submitted to Maureen K. Ohlhausen by: Hon. John D Rockefeller IV ............................................................................. 119 Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................... 120 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 121 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 09:37 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 074999 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\74999.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE IV Page Response to written questions submitted to Maureen K. Ohlhausen by— Continued Hon. Mark Warner ........................................................................................... 123 Hon. Mark Begich ............................................................................................. 124 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 125 Hon. John Boozman ......................................................................................... 127 VerDate Nov 24 2008 09:37 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 074999 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\74999.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE NOMINATIONS TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2011 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:29 p.m. in room SR–253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA The CHAIRMAN. The hearing will come to order, please. I want to welcome and to congratulate the three nominees who are appearing before the Commerce Committee today. And you, too, Senator Kohl. You’re already in the Senate, so I as- sume we don’t have to approve you, but you’re here and we wel- come you. I value your commitment to public service, and I always say this because I mean it, given what people think about public service these days and politics these days doesn’t in any way de- tract from the majesty of the experience of following public service and drilling down and keeping drilling down and expanding your knowledge. We can’t seem to make bills pass well enough to satisfy the needs of the country, but that does not take away from the courage and the steadfast, and I believe the awesomeness of those who vol- unteer to come and do this. So thank you for that attitude. I’m going to start today with Jon Leibowitz, who’s been nomi- nated to have a second term as Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. I’m a fan. During his seven-year term as a Commissioner and during the past three years as Chairman, Mr. Leibowitz has shown that he understands the vital role of the FTC as