Federal lawmakers are urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take a closer look at the closed $1.6 billion merger deal between Compass and Anywhere Real Estate. The effort is being led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) with 16 other Democrats as co-signers.
In a letter sent Thursday night and obtained exclusively by HousingWire, the lawmakers press Attorney General Pam Bondi for details about the DOJ’s antitrust review of the merger between Compass and Anywhere.
The lawmakers say the letter comes after reports that former assistant attorney general for antitrust Gail Slater wanted to undertake an extended review of the merger to consider any potential anticompetitive impacts. However, reports claimed that Compass and its attorneys appealed to Slater’s superiors including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, telling his office that any antitrust concerns could be addressed without a full-scale investigation.
Lack of review raises questions of corruption
“This decision raises questions about corruption under your watch and its impact on housing affordability for American families,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “Allowing this merger will make it easier for these firms to exert greater control over the real estate market, limit consumer access and choice and ultimately exacerbate the housing crisis that has put homeownership out of reach for millions of Americans.”
The lawmakers argue that due to the potential impact on costs and markets, mergers must face an “evenhanded” review process “especially in cases like the Compass-Anywhere merger, where consolidation may raise risks of reduced competition, diminished transparency and higher housing costs for millions of Americans.”
“The fact pattern reported in the Compass-Anywhere deal is deeply disturbing, indicating that it may be another example of well-connected industries and lobbyists obtaining inside access to high-level Trump Administration DOJ officials, and using this access to pervert the antitrust process to obtain approval of anticompetitive mergers that will reduce competition and harm the public,” the letter states.
The lawmakers go on to claim that the typical review process used to examine mergers does not appear to have been followed when it comes to the Compass-Anywhere merger.
Should the DOJ take another look?
The letter discusses the reports that senior DOJ leaders cleared the merger without a deeper review, despite Slater calling for a more extended investigation.
“This approval from Blanche came after Compass reportedly hired Mike Davis, a [President Donald] Trump-aligned lawyer who has been involved in other merger review controversies, to help gain approval of the Compass-Anywhere merger, and reporting suggests that Davis ‘helped Compass make its case to Blanche’s office,’ contributing to the accelerated clearance timeline.”
The lawmakers argue that a corrupt review and an expedited clearance of this merger “could exacerbate the current housing crisis” and set “a dangerous precedent that invites political interference in merger review across industries and undermines the antitrust laws that Congress put in place to safeguard competition and protect Americans.”
Slater leaves the DOJ
In addition to their concerns over the merger, the lawmakers also discussed Slater’s recent departure from the DOJ. Last week, Slater announced she was stepping down as the DOJ’s antitrust chief. In a post on X, Slater wrote that it was with “great sadness and abiding hope” that she left her role as assistant attorney general for antitrust. Slater called serving in the position “the honor of a lifetime.”
In a statement, Bondi wrote that the DOJ thanked Slater for her service to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division “which works to protect consumers, promote affordability and expand economic opportunity.”
Despite Bondi’s public statement, the lawmakers’ letter claims that Davis “boasted, ‘I recommended her [Slater’s] hiring. And her firing[,]’ and declared ‘good riddance’ minutes after her departure became public.”
Due to their concerns, the lawmakers are asking the DOJ to answer several questions in writing by March 4, 2026.
These questions request that the DOJ provide detailed information about its review of the merger, including when the Hart-Scott-Rodino filing was submitted, what competitive concerns were identified and whether additional investigation was considered. They also seek to understand who made and communicated the decision not to pursue further action, the roles of senior DOJ officials and any outside individuals, and whether any communications occurred outside normal review channels. Finally, the questions address safeguards against improper influence, the DOJ’s commitment to fair and consistent merger enforcement and the circumstances surrounding Assistant Attorney General Slater’s departure.
Co-signers of the letter include Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D – Minn.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Peter Welch (D -Vt.), Sen Wyden (D-Ore.), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.).
Compass did not immediately return HousingWire’s request for comment on this letter.
This is not the first time Senator Warren has raised concerns about the Compass-Anywhere merger. In another letter sent to the federal regulators in December, Senator Warren and Senator Wyden argued that the acquisition could harm homebuyers by contributing to higher broker fees and limiting access to property listings.
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