WEEK OF JULY 14. 2025 

DC Agenda: Crypto, AI Crime, and Tariff Tensions

State of Play: 

  • The House and Senate are in session this week. 

Driving the News: 

  • The Senate has until Friday to vote on a $9.4 billion rescissions package which includes steep cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting. Senate Republicans are facing intense pressure from President Trump to support it, however, there are growing concerns that this pressure could derail FY2026 funding negotiations.

  • Senate Democrats have voiced strong opposition to the bill, and have said they will propose amendments to codify certain foreign aid programs.

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Three Things to Watch in Tech:

1) House Kicks Off Crypto Week: The House kicks off “crypto week” as Republican Members look to pass several landmark crypto bills including the Senate-passed GENIUS Act to regulate payment stablecoins, and the CLARITY Act, which establishes a formal digital assets market structure. 

  • While GENIUS may pass with greater bipartisan support, it is unclear how many Democrats will vote to pass CLARITY, citing President Trump’s ties to crypto and calling for inclusion of ethics safeguards. Recall that there was significant Democratic support on the market structure attempt last congress, FIT21, garnering 71 Democratic votes. 

  • As Financial Services Chair French Hill champions the bills, Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) is pushing back, calling this week “Anti-Crypto Corruption Week.”

  • Members will also vote on the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, which would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). 

2. AI Crime Hearing Lineup: House and Senate Judiciary Crime subcommittees this week will hold two hearings Wednesday focused on the criminal aspects of AI, and how the evolving technology is continuing to create judicial headaches. 

  • The House Judiciary Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee will hold a hearing focused on the rising use of AI in criminal activities such as fraud, identity theft, and child exploitation. Lawmakers will examine how law enforcement can respond to these threats and consider possible legislative and policy solutions to enhance public safety in the AI era. 

  • Witnesses will include primarily industry stakeholders with prior experience in the federal government. 

  • Later that day, the Senate Judiciary Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “Too Big to Prosecute?: Examining the AI Industry’s Mass Ingestion of Copyrighted Works for AI Training.” The copyright focus in this Subcommittee is notable given its primary jurisdiction lies in the IP Subcommittee, which has oversight of the US Copyright Office. The nexus to the Crime Subcommittee is likely to center around its jurisdiction of anti-terrorism enforcement policy. 

  • Witnesses have yet to be released, but the hearing demonstrates Chair Josh Hawley’s (R-MO) intent to make his mark on AI policy. 

3. Trump’s Tariffs’ Impact on Tech: President Trump is escalating his tariff strategy, threatening new tariffs on more than two dozen major trading partners starting August 1. This could raise the US tariff rate to its highest point since 1910. 

  • Some of the tariffs could have notable impacts on tech, including those levied on Brazil. President Trump threatened a 50 percent tariff on all imports, citing “unfair treatment of US tech firms” resulting from Brazil’s proposed digital service tax. 

  • Trump accused the Brazilian government of censoring American social media companies and announced a Section 301 investigation into Brazil’s digital trade practices. 

  • The EU is also facing a steep 30 percent tariff on imported goods, and is considering retaliatory measures including tariffs on digital services as well as stricter regulations on US tech firms.

What's Happening This Week

Tech Hearings

  • The House Veterans’ Affairs Technology Modernization Subcommittee holds a hearing on “VA Office of Information and Technology Organizational Structure and Priorities” - Monday, July 14 at 3:00 PM EST 

  • The House Rules Committee holds a markup including H.R. 1919 Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, H.R. 3633 Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, and S. 1582 GENIUS Act - Monday, July 14 at 4:00 PM EST

  • The House Homeland Security Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee holds a hearing on "Surveillance, Sabotage, and Strikes: Industry Perspectives on How Drone Warfare Abroad Is Transforming Threats at Home" - Tuesday, July 15 at 10:00 AM EST

  • The House Foreign Affairs East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Breaking China's Chokehold on Critical Mineral Supply Chains” - Tuesday, July 15 at 10:00 AM EST

  • The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry holds hearings to examine stakeholder perspectives on Federal oversight of digital commodities - Tuesday, July 15 at 3:30 PM EST

  • The House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Making America the Crypto Capital of the World: Ensuring Digital Asset Policy Built for the 21st Century” - Wednesday, July 16 at 9:00 AM EST

  • The House Judiciary Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Exploitation: A New Era of Risk” - Wednesday, July 16 at 10:00 AM EST

  • The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism holds a hearing on “Too Big to Prosecute?: Examining the AI Industry’s Mass Ingestion of Copyrighted Works for AI Training” - Wednesday, July 16 at 2:30 PM EST

  • The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions holds hearings to examine freedom to work, focusing on unlocking benefits for independent workers - Thursday, July 17 at 10:00 AM EST

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