The Los Angeles Post

Expected vote on tech bills prompts GOP infighting

by · Published · Updated

Republicans are fighting amongst themselves over proposals aimed at giving antitrust enforcers more power to rein in tech giants ahead of a House vote expected later this week.

 

The package of three bills is backed by Republicans in the House and Senate, but House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is railing against the bills, signaling the GOP will likely be split in the vote.

 

“Do you think we should give the Biden DOJ [Department of Justice] and FTC [Federal Trade Commission] more money? Do you trust they won’t use the money to target conservatives? Do you think [President] Joe Biden, [Attorney General] Merrick Garland, and [FTC Chairwoman] Lina Khan have your best interests at heart? No, No, No,” Jordan tweeted on Tuesday.

 

Jordan speaking out against the three bills set for a vote this week also signals that if supporters aren’t successful in passing the package, or other proposals aimed at revamping antitrust laws to target tech giants, they may face little chance of moving forward if the GOP wins back the majority in the chamber in the 2022 midterms.

  • The House is expected to vote on the package of three bills Thursday evening or Friday, according to a spokesperson for Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee. 
  • The three bills together would update filing fees for mergers to reduce them for smaller firms and increase them for larger ones that require more in-depth reviews, allow state attorneys general to select their venue when enforcing antitrust laws and use the merger notification process to require parties to disclose subsidies they have received from countries that pose a risk to the U.S., including China.