Week of September 26, 2022

The crisp weather and college football Saturdays also means that we are at the end of the federal government’s fiscal year (September 30), which means Congress needs to pass a Continuing Resolution this week to keep the government funded. The campaign trail is beckoning with the midterm Election only six weeks away and competitive races in nearly every state. 

Last week, House Republicans rolled out their “Commitment to America” policy agenda at a campaign-style event in Washington, PA. This rollout is intended to give Members and candidates specific, proactive policy goals to trumpet as part of the expected Republican-led House of Representatives in the 118th Congress.

The Senate also confirmed Dr. Arati Prabhakar to serve as the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by a close, but bipartisan vote of 56-40.

What We’re Watching: 

  • CR Homestretch: The vote on the motion-to-proceed on the Continuing Resolution (CR) is expected on Tuesday evening in the Senate. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) spent this past weekend making the public and private case for attaching his energy-related permitting reform bill to the CR, though it remains unclear whether that legislation can garner 60 votes in the Senate. If not, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is likely to cut that loose and move the CR without the Manchin bill. Either way, a CR will be passed by both Chambers by the end of this week, funding the government through mid-December. Between now and then, negotiators will continue to work on an omnibus funding package, which could serve as a vehicle for other tech legislation.

  • Big Week for Tech at Committee Markups: Key committees continue with the blocking and tackling of the legislative process. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to markup a whopping 22 bills on Wednesday, including ones with impacts to open source software, digital identity, and cybersecurity workforce and training programs. Industry watchers also continue to hold out hope for stablecoin legislation at the House Financial Services Committee, as chair Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (R-NC) remain “very close” to getting a deal that would allow the committee to proceed with a mark-up.

  • State Social Media Laws Make National Waves: Split US Circuit Court decisions on content moderation laws passed by Texas and Florida means we are moving closer to a Supreme Court case. Last week, the Florida State Attorney General filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that struck down a Florida law banning social media companies from deplatforming political candidates. Meanwhile, the 5th Circuit upheld a Texas law preventing platforms from moderating certain types of content based on a user’s political ideology. The circuit split makes it likely the Supreme Court will take up the cases at some point.

What’s Happening This Week:

Tech Hearings

  • Senate Foreign Relations hearing on Russia sanctions - Wednesday, September 28 at 10:00 AM ET

  • Senate HSGAC markup - Wednesday, September 28 at 10:00 AM ET

  • Senate Banking hearing on examining outbound investment - Thursday, September 29 at 10:00 AM ET

  • Senate Commerce hearing on emerging compute tech - Thursday, September 29 at 10:00 AM ET

  • House Science Subcommittee hearing on trustworthy AI - Thursday, September 29 at 10:30 AM ET

Tech Events

What’s Interesting This Week:

Politics Takes the Big Screen… On September 26, 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon participated in the first televised presidential debate in the United States, setting the precedent for future presidential debates. The event changed the way debates influenced campaigns, as perception came to matter as much as substance.

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