Week of August 1, 2022
The “jet fumes” that you can seemingly smell in Washington, DC as Congress gets closer to August recess—long thought to be the grease that helps ease the legislative gears—-seem to be having its famed effect. The House wrapped up their legislative work with a jam-packed schedule, including pushing the CHIPS+ legislation to the President’s desk for signature, while also narrowly passing an assault weapons ban.
The Senate, while also passing CHIPS+ last week, announced an agreement amongst Democrats to pass a long-awaited Budget Reconciliation package focused on prescription drug subsidies, green energy incentives, and corporate tax increases.
The “big” news that grabbed the front page headlines somewhat overshadowed other significant, if not exciting, legislative actions, including the Senate Commerce Committee voting to approve the nomination of Dr. Arati Prabhakar to serve as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as favorably reporting two privacy bills focused specifically on online activity involving children. Editor’s Note: The Tech Weekly will return on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
What We’re Watching:
Reconciliation’s Light at the End of the Tunnel: The Senate is expected to take up the Reconciliation Bill that was announced as a deal between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) entitled, Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Schumer will need every Democrat to vote for this legislation in order for it to pass. Senator Manchin had been one of the toughest “yes” votes to get, though this specific legislative package was only released late last week so it is still not certain that all 50 Senate Democrats are on board. This deal would be a significant political win for Democrats and the Biden Administration, which means that any potential hold outs such as Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) will be under pressure to go along with the deal.
Antitrust Legislation: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer signaled that he would not bring the antitrust legislation to the Senate floor for a vote in the near future. The American Choice and Innovation Online Act, which would prevent internet platforms from self preferencing their own products and services, received a committee markup in March and has since been noted to garner bipartisan support. However, Schumer suggested he does not believe the legislation has the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate’s initial procedural hurdle. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who is the legislation’s lead co-sponsor, has publicly stated the bill has the votes and wants to see it scheduled for a floor vote. Klobuchar is also the chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, and has scheduled a hearing for August 2 to review competition solutions.
August Look Ahead: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has committed to bringing the House back into session if the Senate is able to pass Reconciliation the week of August 8. The House announced that Members will be given at least 24-hours' notice before a vote comes to the floor.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
Tech Events
The R Street Institute - "Measuring Success in Cybersecurity" - Wednesday, August 3 at 1:00 PM ET
U.S. Chamber of Commerce - "Digital Transformation Nation: Modernizing IT to Improve Government" - Thursday, August 4 at 4:30 PM ET
What’s Interesting This Week:
Video Killed the Radio Star… On August 1, 1981, MTV: Music Television goes on the air for the first time ever, with the words (spoken by one of MTV’s creators, John Lack): “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll,” airing its first ever music video, "Video Killed the Radio Star."
