Tech critics’ hopes for an overhaul of antitrust laws this summer are fading fast after Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the vote will not happen before Congress departs this month.
The Minnesota Democrat shepherded the American Innovation and Choice Online Act through the Senate Judiciary Committee but failed to persuade Democratic leadership to schedule a final vote on the Senate floor.
The bill was designed to stop companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta from preferencing their products on their own platforms to the detriment of their competitors.
Ms. Klobuchar told MSNBC’s Symone Sanders in a recent interview that Democrats’ prioritization of the Inflation Reduction Act, a new tax and spending bill, made consideration of the antitrust bill impossible this week, according to CNBC.
An antitrust panel led by Ms. Klobuchar scheduled to meet Tuesday was postponed and the next steps for her desired tech crackdown are unclear. Ms. Klobuchar has previously said the chances of advancing the bill after Congress returns in Autumn are dim, as the midterm elections will loom in November.
“Once you go into the days of August, we know — as has been pointed out — that it’s not going to get done and we need to get it done,” Ms. Klobuchar said at a June press conference.
Ms. Klobuchar teamed up with Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, on the legislation, and Rep. David Cicilline, Rhode Island Democrat, and Rep. Ken Buck, Colorado Republican, steered companion legislation in the House.
Source: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/2/senate-not-voting-antitrust-bill-aiming-big-tech-r/