We also suggested to a handful of members that the smaller increase proposed by the House seemed more reasonable than the Senate's larger increase. Throughout this process, Microsoft's primary concern has not been the funding level approved for the antitrust division. Whatever budget figure is approved for the antitrust division, it will have no impact on the Microsoft case. Members of Congress have expressed concern that antitrust division officials have urged other nations to join in the attack against Microsoft. And members of Congress have expressed concern over comments by the department's lead trial lawyer in a foreign newspaper describing how foreign citizens could file class action lawsuits against Microsoft.
Reasonable people can disagree over the appropriate funding level for the antitrust division.
But it's hard to see how anyone could argue that an American company does not have the right to share its concerns about the behavior of a federal government agency with members of Congress. Indeed, Microsoft's competitors have hardly been shy about lobbying their self-interested positions. But so long as Microsoft's competitors are pursuing their anti-Microsoft agenda in Washington, surely Microsoft has a right to defend itself as well.