WEEK OF MARCH 10, 2025 

Will Dems Hold ‘em or Fold ‘em on the CR?  

State of Play: 

  • The House and Senate are in session this week. 

  • The Senate today will vote on the confirmation of Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Secretary of Labor, with Steven Bradbury to be Transportation Secretary and Abigail Slater to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division next on deck this week. 

Driving the News: 

  • Federal funding runs out in four days, and House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing his “clean” continuing resolution (CR) through September 30. 

  • The House is expected to pass the measure on Tuesday before sending it to the Senate for consideration. It remains to be seen if the bill will garner enough Democratic support to pass or if opposition will push the government into a shutdown.

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Three Things to Watch in Tech:

1. Senate Judiciary Tackles CSAM, Section 230: The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism will hold a hearing to promote the STOP CSAM Act, a bill that many the in tech industry and privacy advocates have raised concern about for potentially undermining Section 230 protections and end-to-end encryption. 

  • Originally introduced by Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) in 2023, the bill would allow victims of child sexual abuse to sue platforms that facilitate or promote such content, a provision widely opposed by tech companies. We expect it to be reintroduced soon.

  • While the bill aims to modernize the CyberTipline and strengthen reporting requirements, its path forward remains uncertain despite its bipartisan support. Lawmakers continue to grapple with balancing child online safety, free expression, and the tech industry’s evolving political influence.

  • Other Members are continuing to plow ahead with other kids’ online safety legislation, including Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) who last week reintroduced COPPA 2.0, after it passed the Senate but stalled in the House in 2024.

2. The Crypto Disconnect Between Trump and Congress: President Trump late last week issued an executive order to establish a bitcoin reserve fueled by bitcoin seized by the U.S. government rather than purchasing new tokens. Congress is focusing on other crypto policy issues and the move is drawing muted reviews from Republicans in Congress and even industry stakeholders. 

  • House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-AR) issued a quick statement following the EO, saying little about the EO plan, but urging the White House to collaborate with Congress on the structure and funding of a bitcoin reserve. 

  • Congress is focused on passing stablecoin legislation, with House Financial Services Republicans introducing updated legislation to establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins ahead of its hearing on stablecoin regulations. 

  • The Senate Banking Committee is also preparing to mark up a similar measure, with House lawmakers signaling their own markup as soon as Thursday. 

3. Big Tech Still Under the Federal Microscope: From Congress to the Administration, big tech remains under scrutiny on a wide range of actions ranging from anticompetitive behaviors to censorship practices.

  • House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) is continuing on his quest for answers on “how and to what extent the Biden-Harris Administration coerced or colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor lawful speech.” The Committee is specifically looking into Alphabet, Google’s parent company, as well as Meta, which Members previously investigated. 

  • On the Administration front, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently launched a public inquiry into whether technology platforms have unlawfully restricted users’ access to services based on their speech or affiliations, and is currently seeking public comments on potential consumer harms. The FTC is arguing that such actions may result in a lack of competition in the tech industry. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is also tackling censorship allegations of YouTubeTV, alleging discrimination of faith-based programming. 

  • The Justice Department renewed its call over the weekend for the breakup of Google’s search engine business, following a previous court ruling that found the company had illegally maintained a monopoly through exclusive agreements with web browsers and smartphone manufacturers. The move signals the Administration’s continued scrutiny of Big Tech, with its first major test being how it handles the ongoing antitrust case against Google.

What's Happening This Week

Tech Hearings

  • The House Financial Services Committee to hold a hearing on "Navigating the Digital Payments Ecosystem: Examining a Federal Framework for Payment Stablecoins and Consequences of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency" - Tuesday, March 11 at 10:00 AM EST 

  • The House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee to hold a hearing on "Regulatory Harm or Harmonization? Examining the Opportunity to Improve the Cyber Regulatory Regime" - Tuesday, March 11 at 10:00 AM EST

  • The Senate Judiciary Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee to hold a hearing on "Ending the Scourge: The Need for the STOP CSAM (Strengthening Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment) Act" - Tuesday, March 11 at 2:30 PM EST

  • The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee to hold a markup including the nominations of Michael Kratsios and Mark Meador - Wednesday, March 12 at 10:00 AM EST

Tech Events

What We’re Looking Forward to in DC…

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