Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is receiving backlash from GOP lawmakers for pushing former President Biden’s Justice Department to block the merger of JetBlue and Spirit Airlines. 

“The 14,000 employees at Spirit who’ve lost their job loss, the travelers who will now pay higher fares, and the shareholders and debt holders who have been wiped out can thank Elizabeth Warren,” Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) wrote on X on Saturday. “Electing left politicians, who have ZERO business experience, has consequences.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reposted a critical Warren post and wrote, “Stunning.” 

Warren defended her advocacy against the merger by blaming a federal judge for stopping it. 

“Spiking fuel prices from Trump’s war was the nail in the coffin for twice-bankrupted Spirit airline,” Warren wrote in a post on X. FWIW, JetBlue merger failed because a judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan, said the deal was illegal. Republicans are desperate to shift blame from higher costs hitting families.”

Biden’s Justice Department had detailed its involvement in blocking the merger back in 2024.

“Our win in court is a victory for U.S. travelers who deserve lower prices and better choices,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We fought this case to protect consumers who, as the court recognized, ‘otherwise would have no voice.’ I am incredibly proud of the Antitrust Division’s team and our state law enforcement partners’ tireless advocacy.”

Warren had pushed the Department of Transportation under Biden to work to block the merger, as detailed in a letter she wrote.

She also applauded the blockage of the merger.

“I’ve warned for months that a  @JetBlue – @SpiritAirlines  merger would have led to fewer flights and higher fares. @JusticeATR  and @USDOT were right to stand up for consumers and fight against runaway airline consolidation,” she wrote on X. “This is a Biden win for flyers!”

In late April of this year, Warren wrote on X that the “Big Four airlines (American, Delta, Southwest, United) control 75% of the U.S. market. Fewer choices = higher prices for you.”