Mamdani taps former FTC Chair Lina Khan for key New York Economic Development role. By CPI | July 22, 2026 New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan as chair of the New York City Economic Development Corporation's board, placing one of the country's best-known antitrust regulators in a key role overseeing the city's economic development agenda. Veteran city official Anthony Shorris was named president and chief executive of the agency. The appointments, announced Wednesday, represent one of the most consequential personnel decisions of Mamdani's administration to date and signal an effort to pair progressive economic policy priorities with experienced municipal management. According to reporting by Deadline and Business Insider, Khan had been advising Mamdani's administration informally and was widely viewed as a close ally of the mayor's economic agenda. Business Insider first reported that the selection of Khan came as a surprise to many business leaders, given her reputation as one of the most aggressive antitrust enforcers of the Biden era. Mamdani said the appointments are intended to ensure that economic development policies address affordability and economic opportunity across New York City's five boroughs. In a statement released by City Hall, the mayor said Khan's work combating exploitative business practices and Shorris's extensive government experience would help reshape the city's development priorities. The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), a quasi-public nonprofit organization, plays a central role in the city's economy. The agency manages city-owned properties, oversees major infrastructure and redevelopment projects, administers business incentive programs and supports entrepreneurship initiatives. According to the mayor's office, the organization currently oversees roughly 60 million square feet of property and billions of dollars in active development projects. Khan, 37, rose to national prominence during her tenure as FTC chair under former President Joe Biden, where she became closely associated with a more expansive approach to antitrust enforcement and competition policy. Her leadership at the FTC included efforts to challenge major technology mergers, scrutinize market concentration and pursue rules limiting noncompete agreements that regulators argued restricted worker mobility and entrepreneurship. The mayor's office said Khan also focused on protecting small businesses and promoting more competitive markets during her time at the federal agency. Her appointment is likely to draw particular attention because the NYCEDC has historically worked closely with major corporations, developers and financial institutions to attract investment and support business expansion in the nation's largest city. Bloomberg Government reported that Mamdani described Khan's prior work as targeting corporate monopolies that adversely affect consumers and working families. Business groups and investors have closely followed the selection process for the leadership of the economic development agency amid broader questions about the new administration's relationship with the private sector. According to Business Insider, some executives viewed Khan's appointment as an unexpected move because of her confrontational approach toward corporate concentration and large-scale mergers during her FTC tenure. At the same time, the appointment of Shorris, a former New York City first deputy mayor and current McKinsey & Co. partner, has been viewed by some observers as a stabilizing choice because of his decades of experience managing large public institutions and working across government and business sectors. The mayor's office highlighted Shorris's role in overseeing major city initiatives, including housing, transportation and labor programs during previous administrations. Khan has maintained a public profile in antitrust and competition policy since leaving the FTC, currently serving as an associate professor at Columbia Law School and directing its Center for Law and the Economy, according to City Hall. She previously served as counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee and became widely known for scholarship arguing that existing competition frameworks were insufficient to address market power in the digital economy. The appointments also come amid heightened national attention on competition policy and market concentration. During the Biden administration, federal regulators pursued a more assertive approach toward antitrust enforcement, particularly in technology, healthcare and labor markets, prompting significant debate among businesses, policymakers and legal experts over the future direction of U.S. competition law. In announcing the appointments, city officials said Khan and Shorris will work alongside Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su to use development tools, including city-owned land and investment programs, to support affordable housing, job creation and small-business growth. Khan said in a statement that the economic development corporation has an important role in ensuring New York's economy becomes more affordable, resilient and efficient for residents. Shorris said he looked forward to working with business leaders, labor organizations and communities to expand economic opportunity across the city. Judge pushes elite college financial aid antitrust trial toward Thanksgiving finish. By CPI | July 23, 2026 A federal judge overseeing the long-running antitrust lawsuit accusing elite universities of conspiring to limit financial aid wants the remaining case completed before Thanksgiving, signaling an effort to keep one of the nation's highest-profile higher education lawsuits on a fast track. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly told attorneys handling the case that he intends for the trial involving the remaining defendant universities to conclude before the Thanksgiving holiday after years of pretrial litigation and a series of settlements involving other schools. The lawsuit, filed in 2022 on behalf of current and former students, alleges that a group of prestigious private universities unlawfully coordinated how they calculated students' financial need, reducing competition for financial aid packages and forcing students to pay more for college. The universities deny the allegations. At the center of the dispute is the 568 Presidents Group, a consortium of colleges that collaborated on financial aid methodology under a federal antitrust exemption available to institutions that admit students without considering their ability to pay. The plaintiffs contend some participating schools were not fully need-blind in certain admissions decisions and therefore were not eligible for that exemption. The litigation has steadily narrowed as universities reached settlements while denying wrongdoing. Twelve institutions have agreed to settlements totaling nearly $320 million, leaving a handful of schools to defend the case at trial. The case has become one of the most closely watched antitrust disputes involving higher education because it tests the limits of the decades-old legal exemption allowing qualifying colleges to cooperate on financial aid formulas. A verdict against the remaining universities could reshape how selective private institutions calculate and coordinate need-based aid. Judge Kennelly has also overseen disputes over class certification and the plaintiffs' legal representation, including questions surrounding litigation funding arrangements disclosed earlier this year. Those issues were resolved without derailing preparations for trial. If the trial proceeds on schedule, it will mark the first opportunity for a court to decide the merits of the students' price-fixing claims rather than resolving them through settlement.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed Lina Khan to lead the board of directors for the city's Economic Development Corporation. Khan, who served as Federal Trade Commission director under President Biden and is known for her antitrust advocacy, co-chaired Mamdani's mayoral campaign. McKinsey partner Anthony Shorris will join Khan as president and CEO of the EDC. The quasi-public nonprofit manages city-owned property and supports business interests and economic growth. The appointments aim to balance economic development with affordability goals. Mamdani said the pair represent "a dream team" that can execute on his vision for growth whilst addressing cost-of-living concerns. Critics had noted the delay in appointing EDC leadership, suggesting business investment wasn't a priority for the mayor.

With 2 hires, mamdani blends Economic Development with Economic justice. Published on Jul 22, 2026 Anthony E. Shorris, a former deputy mayor and a partner at McKinsey, and Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, will lead the city's Economic Development Corporation. Published on Jul 22, 2026 Anthony E. Shorris, a former deputy mayor and a partner at McKinsey, and Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, will lead the city's Economic Development Corporation.