Representative Lou Correa (D-CA) questions Intelligence Committee Minority Adviser Stephen Castor and Intelligence Committee Majority Adviser Daniel Goldman during House impeachment hearings before the Judiciary Committee. House of Representatives on Capitol Hill December 9, 2019 in Washington, DC.
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A California lawmaker who has opposed efforts to crack down on the tech industry is the leading candidate to become the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust.
Representative Lou Correa, who represents parts of Southern California, is being discussed as a possible successor to previous Ranked Member David Cicilline, DR.I., four sources said. for background information on private discussions. Former Cicillin announced he would leave Parliament effective June 1.
If Correa took on the role, it would represent a complete reversal of attitudes at the top level of the subcommittee, which just a few years earlier had led to a major investigation into the matter. Amazon, Apple, Google And Facebook that find each maintain monopoly power. Under Cicilline, CEO of each company face baking time front panel. The Judiciary Committee also succeeded in passed the package of antitrust bills aims to curb the power of the top players in the industry by preventing them from promoting their own products in their markets or by prohibiting the ownership of two businesses with conflicts of interest.
Things can still change, but Correa is well positioned based on his seniority. Correa’s team spoke with Justice staff about the subcommittee’s possible priorities, according to a House staffer, and a vote could take place in the next few weeks.
A spokesman for Correa declined to comment.
A senior Democrat aide described the prospect of Correa becoming a ranking member as a “heavenly opportunity for tech companies.” If he takes the top Democratic role, he will sit next to Chairman Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who was chosen to replace previous ranking member of the panel, Representative Ken. Buck, R-Colo. Buck is the leading Republican champion of tech antitrust bills.
While Cicilline and Buck support bills that seek to crack down on what they see as unfair behavior by Big Tech companies and support increased funding for antitrust enforcement agencies, Correa opposes. technology antitrust bills and voted against legislation that would raise funds to the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
Democrats are in the minority in the House, so whoever takes the position will not be setting the agenda for the subcommittee. But several sources who spoke to CNBC said Correa’s track record suggests antitrust tech would step back for a while on the subcommittee if he gets the nod. Currently, the types of invoices that to leave the judicial committee in the summer of 2021 currently stalled with the help of technology lobbying.
Correa received an endorsement from the Chamber of Commerce during its 2022 campaign. The Chamber has significantly opposed the FTC’s progressive action and has warning that legislative reform in the US could undermine the country’s economic security. Since 2018, Correa has received about $17,000 in donations from tech company political action committees, including those of Amazon, Google and Meta.
Correa doesn’t seem to be a popular choice among radical groups. Groups such as the Needs Progress Education Fund, Economic Security Project Action and Fight for the Future urged the committee in April to choose a replacement for Cicilline “with a similarly unwavering commitment to policies antitrust book”, who voted for all the bills in the House of Representatives Judiciary Technology Antitrust Package.
Several senior members of the subcommittee advocating antitrust reform seemed more likely to be contenders for the Democratic front-runner not long ago. But the field is complicated by the fact that many of them already have senior membership positions on other subcommittees that they may not want to give up. That includes former vice chair of the antitrust subcommittee Joe Neguse, D-Colo., as well as Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.
Even so, the senior Democratic aide said the focus on technology antitrust issues would not go away entirely, even as they become less prominent in the House. The aide points to ongoing efforts within the White House and enforcement agencies to address digital competition issues.
“Those problems are still there,” the aide said. “They’re not going away.”
SEE: Here’s Why Some Experts Are Calling Big Tech Break Up After House Antitrust Report
