The latest tech talk on Capitol Hill

Summary

POLITICO Tech Podcast Summary Episode: The Latest Tech Talk on Capitol Hill
Release Date: February 24, 2025
Host: Stephen Overlea
Guest: Anthony Adragna

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Introduction: Shifting Tech Dynamics in Washington

In the February 24, 2025 episode of POLITICO Tech, host Stephen Overlea delves into the evolving landscape of technology policy on Capitol Hill. With President Donald Trump actively steering the tech agenda since his recent inauguration, Congress is beginning to reassert its influence. The episode features an insightful conversation with Anthony Adragna, a seasoned political correspondent now focusing on tech policy, to unpack recent developments, legislative attempts, and the broader implications for Big Tech in the political arena.

1. Evolving Republican Perspectives on Big Tech

Softening Stance from Key Republican Figures

One of the episode's focal points is the noticeable shift in the Republican approach toward Big Tech. Historically, figures like Congressman Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, have been staunch critics of major technology companies. However, recent developments suggest a nuanced change.

“Chair Jordan convened a hearing in his Judiciary Committee and took a noticeably softer tone towards big tech,” Anthony Adragna explains (01:42).

Adragna attributes this moderation to perceived successes under the Trump administration, suggesting that conservative pressures may have influenced Big Tech companies to adopt more accommodating stances. This softening is further exemplified by Big Tech's attempts to align more closely with the new administration, though Adragna notes that a complete transformation in attitude remains uncertain.

“It's a noticeably less adversarial sort of tone from Chair Jordan towards a lot of these big tech companies,” Adragna adds (01:42).

2. Bipartisan Efforts on Online Safety and Section 230

Senate Judiciary Committee’s Renewed Focus

Despite the administration's dominance in shaping tech policy, the Senate Judiciary Committee demonstrates persistent bipartisan interest in regulating Big Tech, particularly concerning children’s online safety and the controversial Section 230.

“They view that their legislative prerogatives have been impeded in a certain way by the tech industry,” Adragna notes (05:19).

The committee remains determined to revisit and potentially revise Section 230, which shields online platforms from certain legal liabilities. Adragna highlights the bipartisan commitment, reminiscent of last year’s near-unanimous support, signaling ongoing legislative pursuits despite past setbacks.

3. Reactions to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Federal Government Cuts and Legislative Concerns

The episode addresses the contentious moves by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has initiated significant budget cuts across various federal agencies, including the National Institute for Standards and Technology.

“There’s been the full range of reactions,” explains Adragna (07:23).

Prominent Democrats like Maria Cantwell express serious reservations, fearing that these cuts could derail the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act. Conversely, some Republicans, including Ted Cruz, support the cuts, reflecting a divided response within the party. Lawmakers are currently in a "discovery mode," seeking more information before forming cohesive opposition or support.

4. Data Privacy and Legal Challenges Facing DOGE

Lawmakers’ Responses to Privacy Concerns

Addressing lawsuits against DOGE for alleged violations of the Privacy Act of 1974, the conversation reveals a muted reaction from many privacy advocates and Republicans.

“Republicans have been pretty quiet in terms of pushing back,” Adragna observes (10:05).

However, figures like Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Rand Paul may become pivotal voices if they choose to address these privacy and data handling issues more vocally. The lack of immediate bipartisan movement suggests that any significant legislative response may be forthcoming rather than immediate.

5. Government Funding Showdown and Its Impact on Tech Policy

Approaching Deadlines and Legislative Stalemates

With the government funding deadline looming, Overlea and Adragna discuss the likely outcomes and their implications for technology policy.

“I’m pretty skeptical that we’re going to have anything approaching a big government funding agreement,” Adragna states (11:31).

The expectation leans towards a Continuing Resolution (CR) that maintains the status quo to avert a government shutdown. This uncertainty impacts tech initiatives, as ongoing negotiations and political priorities may sideline significant tech legislation in favor of broader fiscal strategies.

Conclusion: Navigating a Complex Tech Policy Landscape

The episode concludes with an acknowledgment of the multifaceted and rapidly changing tech policy environment on Capitol Hill. While there are signs of shifting attitudes and renewed legislative efforts, the interplay between executive actions, legislative priorities, and partisan dynamics continues to shape the future of technology governance in the United States.

“We're not really in a very bipartisan deal-making climate,” Adragna concludes (11:31).

As Capitol Hill grapples with these challenges, POLITICO Tech remains a crucial source for understanding the technological transformations influencing politics and policy.

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Notable Quotes:

• “Chair Jordan convened a hearing in his Judiciary Committee and took a noticeably softer tone towards big tech.”
  — Anthony Adragna (01:42)

• “They view that their legislative prerogatives have been impeded in a certain way by the tech industry.”
  — Anthony Adragna (05:19)

• “There’s been the full range of reactions.”
  — Anthony Adragna (07:23)

• “Republicans have been pretty quiet in terms of pushing back.”
  — Anthony Adragna (10:05)

• “I’m pretty skeptical that we’re going to have anything approaching a big government funding agreement.”
  — Anthony Adragna (11:31)

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Transcript

[Stephen Overlea]

Hey, welcome back to Politico tech. Today's Monday, February 24th. I'm Stephen Overlea. Since taking office last month, President Donald Trump has been driving the tech agenda in Washington. Now Congress is slowly starting to get back in the game. Recent hearings reveal that lawmakers want to tackle kids online safety and Internet liability, though we've heard those ambitions before with little result. But the politics around tech are shifting. After years of rebuke from both Republicans and Democrats, some members are actually softening their anti tech views. Although it's not yet clear tech is really getting the reset it wants in Washington. My political colleague Anthony Adragna has covered the Hill for years, and he recently shifted focus to tech policy on the show. Today, Anthony gives me the download on what's happening on the Hill. Here's our conversation. Anthony, welcome to Politico Tech.

[Anthony Adragna]

Thank you for having me.

[Stephen Overlea]

First appearance on the podcast since you joined the tech team.

[Anthony Adragna]

I'm excited to be here.

[Stephen Overlea]

Uh, let's get into all the stuff you're covering on the Hill lately. You know, there have been few lawmakers who have been as critical of big tech in recent years as Congressman Jim Jordan, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. But lately his tone has kind of softened a bit. How's he feeling about big tech these days?

[Anthony Adragna]

Yeah, it was really interesting. He convened a hearing in his Judiciary Committee and took a noticeably softer tone towards big tech and sort of mentioned over and over again what a difference three years has made. So I think they're really feeling like the Trump administration has sort of yielded results for them and sort of conservative pressure has yielded results to them. And so it was a noticeably less adversarial sort of tone from Chair Jordan towards a lot of these big tech companies. I don't know that we know enough to say that It's a full 180, but certainly a softer tone than we've seen over the last couple of years. And I think that's particularly notable given some of the moves we've seen from a lot of the big tech firms kind of cozying up to the new Trump administration.

[Stephen Overlea]

Well, it is an interesting contrast, I think, from recent comments that we've seen from folks like Chair Brendan Carr over at the Federal Communications Commission or Chair Andrew Ferguson at the Federal Trade Commission, both of whom have really continued to complain about conservative censorship on social media and distrust in big tech companies. Is Jordan's softer stance or a sentiment that you see shared by other Republicans on Capitol Hill?

[Anthony Adragna]

Yeah, honestly, I think this is sort of the big question that I'M trying to answer right now because I don't know that there's a consensus position among Republicans. I think there are some that feel sort of allayed by a lot of, you know, some of the recent moves that a lot of these companies have made towards conservatives and, you know, addressing their concerns. And others are still remain quite skeptical. We heard Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, say, you know, basically, you know, given her treatment by Mark Zuckerberg, she would never trust him. So I think we're still trying to suss out whether or not there's kind of a through line here with Republicans. I think there's some that see a lot of the moves that have been made of late and sort of are feeling hardened by them and others that, you know, are sort of in wait and see mode. So I think that's kind of the, you know, where that ultimately ends up is sort of the storyline that's going to be really important to watch in the months going forward.

[Stephen Overlea]

Got it. So there may be more work for Big Tech to do, I guess. They have really made a strong effort to cozy up to President Donald Trump, obviously, but others in his administration as well in recent months. And it does seem to be paying off in some areas, but they have not won over everyone, I guess.

[Anthony Adragna]

Yeah, I think that's right. And certainly we saw this weekend the Senate Judiciary Committee a lot of major skepticism towards Big Tech. They view Big Tech as sort of having sidelined their efforts to sort of rein in a lot of the excesses that they see them online in terms of child safety and made clear they were going to try again to try to pass legislation there. And one of the major through lines there was sort of a real objection to the amount of lobbying that Big Tech had made against a lot of the legislation. So I think that's probably also a through line that we're going to have to watch. And, you know, I think it sort of remains to be seen, you know, exactly how all corners of the party are going to adapt to this. Clearly, the Trump administration has, you know, made a lot of entreaties towards Big Tech. We'll have to wait and see exactly how much that filters down into Congress.

[Stephen Overlea]

Well, it does seem like President Trump's tech agenda has kind of drowned out action on the Hill in this first month of his presidency. But as you mentioned in the Senate Judiciary Committee did just hold a hearing focused on kids online safety, an issue that they really took quite far last Congress, but didn't quite get legislation approved. Did they move the needle in a Real way, you think?

[Anthony Adragna]

I don't think they moved the needle necessarily, but I was impressed with sort of, given some of the recent posturing by the industry with the new administration, I was impressed by the bipartisan resolve to try again. And so that was both child safety trying to repeal Section 230. I think they're certainly signaling that they view that their sort of legislative prerogatives have been impeded in a certain way by the tech industry. And so our steeling themselves for a new fight. They're not under any illusions it's going to be easy to get anything done, but I think they're really resolved to try again. We're not really in a very bipartisan deal making climate, I would think, but you know, if there's anything that can overcome that, I would think legislation that passed 91 to 3, which is what the, the Kids Online Safety act did last year, I think that could be a potential area to watch again and again, the obstacle there may be the House, which refused to consider it, but certainly I think I was impressed by the resolve from senators from both parties and sort of taking on big tech kind of in this new environment.

[Stephen Overlea]

Yeah, you know, I'm going to be interested to see myself how that plays out also because we just saw Vice President J.D. vance over in Europe basically admonishing European regulators for how much they have been regulating big tech and putting rules on American companies. And so the appetite from the White House for tech regulation seems quite small. At least, I guess, at least when that regulation comes from Europe. I don't know if they'll feel differently when it comes from the US but it does not seem to me to be a prime climate for passing big tech legislation. But you never know. You know, the other area that there has been a lot of action is Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. You know, it's been executing deep cuts across the federal government, including some of the agencies we cover, like the National Institute for Standards and Technology. What's the scuttlebutt on the Hill about DOGE and all of these people that are losing their jobs?

[Anthony Adragna]

It's been really interesting. So I think there has been kind of the full range of reactions. So for example, probably unsurprisingly, we heard from Maria Cantwell, who's the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, expressing real serious concern and reservations about a lot of these cuts, the rumored cuts. Ted Cruz to me was basically fully endorsed them. And then you have some other folks like Jerry Moran of Kansas, who's a senior Appropriator who was indicating, basically, you know, he has some questions about this and was seeking further information from the White House and the Secretary of Commerce about, you know, the nature of these cuts and how deep they would be. So I think lawmakers are still very much in discovery mode. We're not seeing a ton of affirmative pushback beyond sort of questioning some of these. So I think we're going to have to wait and see how it plays out. They're obviously dealing with this across the entire scope of the federal government. So I think it's been sort of hard for folks to focus in on any one agency, any one department. But there are certainly some, including Republicans, that are raising alarms about these potential cuts. They want to see the CHIPS and Science act that passed with bipartisan support last Congress, you know, fully implemented. And there is definitely some concern that some of these cuts may impede the ability to do that.

[Stephen Overlea]

Right. In some ways, cuts are happening so fast, reactions almost seem to be on delay. You know, sometimes even within the administration, it seems there's not even a full awareness of all the people who are being cut or all the programs that are being shut down. And, you know, they discover a bit later, oh, wait, we fired those people. Maybe we need them back. You know, we've already started to see those storylines. And so if that happens around chips or around artificial intelligence, I can't say I'd be surprised that. We'll just have to see how that plays out.

[Anthony Adragna]

To that point, what we're hearing from a lot of members is they're basically finding out about this stuff in the media. So there's certainly not a lot of pre advance warning to members of Congress about a lot of these cuts. And, you know, that may be indicative in and of itself, but that does sort of impede their ability to react sort of dynamically and quickly when they're only finding out about them sort of through these informal channels, if you will.

[Stephen Overlea]

Right. Good reason to subscribe to Politico, perhaps.

[Anthony Adragna]

Indeed.

[Stephen Overlea]

I wonder, you know, there have been a number of lawsuits filed against doge, focusing in particular on its handling of government data. And, you know, they have accused the office of violating the Privacy act of 1974. Are you hearing any of those concerns on the Hill? Is that something lawmakers are talking about?

[Anthony Adragna]

You know, I think a lot of the privacy advocates, you know, I've been surprised, actually. I think there have been a number of Republicans, one of our colleagues reported that a lot of them, some of the Republicans that have, you know, for a long time raised concerns about data and, you know, the federal government's access to it. Have been pretty quiet about this and, you know, in many ways have sort of endorsed the work of dogecoin. So I think we're still kind of waiting to see that play out. You know, I think certainly, you know, one to watch would be Senator Josh Hawley. He's been really critical of Big Tech in the past and has been quite sensitive to data privacy concerns. And he in particular has sort of not been particularly outspoken in criticizing a lot of these DOGE efforts and has given the President pretty broad latitude. So he'll be definitely a voice to watch. I think another would be Senator Rand Paul, who's been pretty skeptical of sort of government action in. In privacy matters. But we'll have to see. Overall, Republicans have been pretty quiet in terms of pushing back on, honestly, pretty much anything the President has done in the first month. So perhaps that changes, but we've not seen any indication so far.

[Stephen Overlea]

Well, you know, with March now less than a week away, I think the showdown over government spending is getting closer and closer. It's something that is top of mind for many folks. I'm curious what you're watching for on the tech front in all of this.

[Anthony Adragna]

You know, honestly, I'm pretty skeptical that we're going to have anything approaching sort of a big government funding agreement. I'd be surprised if we didn't have something approaching a CR that perhaps will change with time. But my expectations are pretty limited. Our understanding is essentially that negotiations have been going pretty badly. And so the closer you get to the deadline, if negotiations are going badly, the higher the likelihood is that you probably have, you know, something preserving the status quo. So, you know, I think we'll have to see, in some ways, preserving the status quo and avoiding government shutdown may be a decent outcome for folks that are watching this process really closely. But I think we're going to have to wait and see. You know, Republicans are clearly focused right now on trying to pass their sort of party line, energy, immigration and tax package. And so, you know, other matters have sort of taken a backseat. But we are definitely getting under the wire here, and the government funding has not been front of mind, so maybe that changes. But I think I'd be surprised if we didn't end up with the continuing resolution that sort of preserved the status quo going forward later in the year.

[Stephen Overlea]

Got it. Well, Anthony, appreciate having your eyes and ears on the Hill, and thanks for being here in Politico Tech.

[Anthony Adragna]

Oh, my gosh, thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

[Stephen Overlea]

That's all for today's Politico Tech. If you enjoy Politico Tech, please subscribe. And for more tech news, subscribe to our newsletters, Digital Future Daily and Morning Tech. Our managing producer is Annie Reiss. I'm Stephen Overle. See you back here tomorrow.