State of Play
The House and Senate are in session this week, but votes have been delayed until Tuesday with severe weather conditions expected in DC this afternoon.
The war with Iran enters week three and the Department of Homeland Security shutdown goes into month two.
Driving the News
Congress is returning to session facing multiple challenges, including funding the war with Iran through a potential $100 billion supplemental package, finding a way to end the shutdown of the expiring surveillance authorities under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702, and preparing for a highly contentious Senate debate over the SAVE America Act.
Congress’ crowded agenda feels like March Madness in DC, sans brackets.
Three Things to Watch in Tech
Section 230 Gets Its Day in the Senate: The Senate Commerce Committee is teeing up a hearing tomorrow to discuss the evolution of Section 230 since its inception 30 years ago. Members will hear from legal experts from public interest groups and academia on the role Section 230 has played in the digital era.
The committee is taking a measured academic and educational approach to the hearing, so not the big tech fireworks show that sometimes comes with the 230 debate.
The push to tackle Section 230 is consistent with Chair Cruz’s (R-TX) recent remarks that the Committee is aiming to pass kids’ online safety legislation within the next six weeks.
There have been several other efforts at the intersection of tech and liability concerns, as well as the role AI is playing into them. It remains to be seen if the Committee will act on 230 specifically, or address broader concerns of safety through other legislative measures.
House Financial Services Takes on Privacy: The House Financial Services Committee is holding a hearing this week to examine the current patchwork of federal and state financial data privacy laws, and look to modernize protections for consumers in today’s digital financial services landscape.
Specifically, Members will review a discussion from from Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) to update Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which would give consumers greater control, access, and transparency over how their financial data is collected and used.
The proposal also aims to create more uniform national standards, expand definitions to cover more institutions and data types, and require regulators to consider compliance costs for small financial institutions.
House Homeland “Seeks” DeepSeek Info: The House Homeland Cybersecurity Subcommittee is taking on Chinese emerging tech in a hearing Tuesday, and the possible national security implications they pose to the US technology base.
The primary targets of the hearing are DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics. DeepSeek as a topic is no stranger to the Subcommittee’s inquiries on U.S.-China emerging tech competition, but Unitree is less well noted.
The hearing comes at a time when the Department of Defense is battling with American AI companies, most notably Anthropic, in which the Department recently labeled the company a supply chain risk given opposition for unfiltered use of its models.
DeepSeek however, despite its ties to China, has not yet been designated a supply chain risk, and the company is rumored to be releasing a new model. This will likely be a point of contention during the hearing.
🏛️ Tech Hearings
The House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee holds a hearing on “DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics: Examining the National Security Risks of PRC Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Autonomous Technologies and Building a Secure U.S. Technology Base” - Tuesday, March 17 at 10:00 AM EST
The House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing on “Updating America’s Financial Privacy Framework for the 21st Century” - Tuesday, March 17 at 10:00 AM EST
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee holds a hearing to examine the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027, focusing on strategy and challenges ahead of Shanghai - Tuesday, March 17 at 10:00 AM EST
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing to examine China's theft of U.S. innovation - Tuesday, March 17 at 10:15 AM EST
The House Financial Services National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Oversight of the Export-Import Bank” - Wednesday, March 18 at 10:00 AM EST
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee holds a hearing to examine platform power as “Section 230 Turns 30” - Wednesday, March 18 at 10:00 AM EST
The House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Securing U.S. Leadership of Communications Technology” - Wednesday, March 18 at 2:00 PM EST
🗓️ Upcoming Events
The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs - Virtual Discussion on "AI and Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Advancing Justice for Women and Girls" - Monday, March 16 at 10:30 AM EST
Punchbowl News - Discussion on tech innovation and U.S. leadership w/ Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) - Tuesday, March 17 at 9:00 AM EST
The Digital Chamber - D.C. Blockchain Summit - Tuesday, March 17 to Wednesday, March 18
The Potomac Officers Club - 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit - Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00 AM EST
Punchbowl News - Discussion on digital well-being for kids and teenagers w/ Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN) - Wednesday, March 18 at 8:30 AM EST
Crowdstrike - 2026 Fal.Con Gov Conference - Wednesday, March 18 at 9:00 AM EST
Broadband Breakfast - Conference on BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) Implementation 2026 - Wednesday, March 18 at 12:00 PM EST
Axios - Discussion on "Driving the Future of Autonomous Vehicles" - Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 AM EST
The Meridian International Center - Discussion on "how the U.S. government is addressing emerging cyber risks and strengthening national resilience" - Thursday, March 19 at 9:30 AM EST
