A coalition of advocacy groups is making a last-ditch plea to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to prioritize passing several antitrust bills targeting tech giants with just three weeks to go before the end of the year, and only two until Christmas.
The groups are sending a letter to Schumer on Friday arguing that “this historic opportunity to reinvigorate competition risks being rendered a historical footnote” without votes on bipartisan legislation before Democrats lose their control of the House next year, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Hill.
Although the bills have bipartisan support in both chambers, House Republicans set for leadership positions in January have indicated they would not prioritize the antitrust bills, opting instead to focus on an agenda targeting content moderation measures they’ve accused of being biased against conservatives.
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The letter, led by the Omidyar-funded Tech Oversight Project, renewed advocates’ request for a vote on two proposals that advanced out of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act.
The first aims to limit dominant tech firms from preferring their own products and services. A spokesperson for Schumer said over the summer that the majority leader was working with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), the lead Democrat on the bill, to “gather the needed votes” and plans to bring it for a vote. In the four months since, he has not called the bills to a vote or publicly detailed plans to do so.
