Steve Cortes, founder of the League of American Workers, has called for a shift away from concentrated corporate and government power towards more distributed economic and political authority. His statement was made on the social media platform X.
“Such key analysis,” said Cortes. “Abuse of Americans by quasi-private conglomerates, under the false veil of “corporate capitalism” is ending. We must build a society of diffused economic and political power. Subsidiarity…”
U.S. political discourse around “corporate capitalism” has intensified as lawmakers scrutinize the growing influence of large corporations over labor, markets, and democracy. According to the Roosevelt Institute, this model has resulted in declining wages, weakened worker power, and increasing inequality. Policymakers from both parties are now considering stronger antitrust laws and industrial policy alternatives while debates over “state capitalism” continue amid recent government interventions.
Corporate market concentration in the U.S. has increased significantly, with the top 1% of firms controlling about 90% of corporate assets and earning roughly 80% of total revenues. A report by Chicago Booth indicates that this trend reflects a century-long rise in concentration, particularly in sectors like technology, healthcare, and telecommunications where dominant firms hold substantial market power.
Over the past two decades, the U.S. has seen sustained growth in corporate mergers and acquisitions, with more than 325,000 deals totaling nearly $35 trillion since 1985. The Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances (IMAA) reports that deal volume and value surged in 2024, with U.S. transactions rising 9% in volume and 12% in value. Although global deal volume dipped in early 2025, total value rose due to larger individual mergers.
Cortes is also a senior political advisor to CatholicVote and a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance. He is known for his commentary on Fox News and CNN and regularly releases documentaries and columns at cortesinvestigates.com.
The League of American Workers was founded by Cortes in 2022 to advocate for U.S. blue-collar workers through a conservative populist lens. According to its official website, the group aims to combat real wage stagnation and restore worker agency by reshaping political narratives and public policy. Its messaging targets elites across both major parties while emphasizing America First economic reforms.
