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Rep. Lou Correa, R-Calif., cross-examines witnesses during an impeachment hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., December 9, 2019.
Doug Mills | pool | Getty Images
Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., who has opposed a handful of bills seeking antitrust law reform to rein in Big Tech, will become the top Democratic member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler, D. that. Y., announced Wed.
CNBC first reported that Correa was a top contender for the role, despite his antitrust voting record deviating from that of his predecessor. Former Rep. David Cicilline, DRI, who stepped down from Congress earlier this month to lead a charitable group, previously led the subcommittee with a focus on cracking down on what he viewed as digital monopolies.
Correa’s rise to the highest Democratic seat on the subcommittee indicates a possible change of tone. That shift was already beginning on the Republican side, when the top contender in tech-reform bills, Rep. Ken Buck, R-, was dumped for the presidency in favor of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-of-Kee. Buck previously served as the top Republican on the subcommittee.
While Correa’s new role likely won’t lead to immediate changes given that Republicans control the House and the ability to set committee agendas, some opponents fear his rise could make it difficult to replace him if Democrats take back the House in the next election.
While president, Cicilline led an investigation into the AmazonAnd appleAnd Google And Facebook Which found the four monopoly power that has been maintained. This resulted in a package of bills to limit its power that passed through the subcommittee under Cecilline’s direction. But Correa and other California lawmakers on the subcommittee voted against the bills.
Correa secured the support of the Hispanic Caucus for the job, Punchbowl News reported last week, noting that “only two members of the Hispanic congressional caucus currently serve on the Judiciary Committee, even though many of the issues it covers disproportionately affect Latino communities. Elevating a congressman to member status will help ensure that the voices of the country’s largest ethnic minority will be well represented on some of the issues that matter most to them than others.”
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