Powerful House Democrats Push Lawmaker With Big Tech Ties For Key Tech Oversight Position

A group of Latin American Democrats in the House of Representatives is pushing for leadership to give a congressman with close ties to big tech companies a key seat on a subcommittee tasked with holding tech giants to account.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) wrote a letter to Democratic leaders in Congress Tuesday to endorse Rep. Lou Correa, R-Calif., as a new cartel member on the House Judiciary Subcommittee.

“Rep. Correa is a trusted and active member of the CHC and was a strong and enthusiastic member of the House Judiciary Committee. He fought hard for the working-class communities that make up his district and implemented reforms to meet their needs,” the contributors wrote.

Signatories include California CHC President Nanette Barragán, New York CHC Vice President Adriana Espaillat and Texas CHC Director Sylvia Garcia.

Correa is the front-runner for the position of the subcommittee's newest member, CNBC reported, citing four sources who spoke about the private discussions on condition of anonymity.

According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Correa has close ties to the tech industry and has raised around $17,000 from political action committees linked to companies including Amazon, Meta and Google.

It was approved by the US Antitrust Chamber of Commerce in 2022 and received financial backing from Amazon, Meta and Google. The chamber has donated $16,000 to Correa's campaign for Congress since 2019, FEC records show.

Congresswoman Correa believes that all Americans deserve to live their American dream — to get a good education without the financial strain, to find and keep a good job, and to make no sacrifices to put food on the table — and she believes they do can continue to fight for these values. . . ​Who leads this subcommittee? Dream American who would prepare him for the job.

“He enjoys a high reputation among his peers as an intelligent, hard-working MP who works tirelessly for his constituents and the state. He has already been encouraged by many of his peers and when called to serve he is ready and will always do anything to protect those values,” the spokesman continued.

Correa's predecessor David Cicilline, a former Rhode Island Democrat who left Congress in early June, opposed the bipartisan legislation. When Cicillin chaired the subcommittee of the 116th and 117th Congresses, he conducted investigations into major tech companies and proposed antitrust reforms to increase competition in digital markets.

In 2022, Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican from Sicilline, Colorado and a former senior member of the subcommittee, pushed a bipartisan package of anti-competitive reforms through the subcommittee, despite Correa leading the opposition along with California Democrats Zoe Lofgren and Eric Swall. according to the Washington Post. .

Three bills: the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, the Foreign Merger Grants Disclosure Act and the State Antitrust Act passed the House of Representatives in October 2022 with bipartisan support. The countermeasures were signed under the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill passed in December 2022.

Correa linked his stance on the legislation to the jobs created by California's tech giants and Amazon's plans to expand into the county.

“The answer to these questions should relate to Main Street, not Wall Street, and not [therefore] DC traffic. It's about jobs and our constituents,” Correa said in a June 2021 press release. In 2010, four percent of Californians worked directly in technology. Today it's less than 12 percent, or two million jobs, for true Californians. That number is even higher when you factor in the millions of workers who support these industries and communities. "

“In my area, small businesses depend on the services of these technology companies. Amazon has opened one fulfillment center and plans to open more. It's a well-paying job with benefits," Correa added.

From TikTok CEO Testimony Before Congress | internal messages