The FTC would receive 1.3 percent less funding...

The FTC would receive 1.3 percent less funding under the White House’s FY 2015 budget proposal, released Tuesday (http://1.usa.gov/1kVbb6b). The budget puts the FTC’s 2014 estimated budget at $298 million, slightly above the 2015 proposed $293 million outlay. But the 2015 proposal is still higher than the actual $279 million 2013 budget, according to the White House proposal. The budget also “proposes to increase the Hart-Scott-Rodino fees and index them for the percentage annual change in the gross national product,” and create a new merger fee category for mergers valued at over $1 billion. The fee changes would take effect in 2016, according to the proposal. The FTC did not comment on the proposed budget.