The Senate’s most likely technology antitrust bill, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, will not receive a vote before the Senate adjourns for the August recess, the bill’s lead Democratic sponsor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, said Saturday.
The big picture: Klobuchar and other supporters say a summer vote on the bill is important because passing bipartisan legislation will be more difficult as midterm elections approach. Now they have to try to push their ideas forward in the fall.
driving news; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has previously said he intends to give Klobuchar a floor vote on her bill this summer.
- But other Senate priorities like gun control, climate, energy and infrastructure funding and the CHIPS and Science Act took up limited floor time.
Why is it important? The bill would prevent Big Tech companies from prioritizing their own services over those of their competitors.
- Companies like Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon strongly opposed the bill, saying it would undermine the safety and convenience of customers.
- Supporters of the law say it will increase the control and competition that big tech companies have over the digital ecosystem.
What they say: Speaking on Simon Sanders’ MSNBC show on Saturday, Klobuchar said Thursday that she and Schumer “talked about getting this vote in the fall.” We can’t do that this week, obviously, we can’t get a big vote on the “De-Inflation Act” again.
