As Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) know all too well, we at Punchbowl News Tech stay quite close to the leaders of the Senate Commerce and House Energy and Commerce committees.
But those two chairs aren’t the only lawmakers involved in tech policy.
Here are a few members we’ll be keeping an eye on (and seek answers from frequently):
– Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), as the chair of E&C’s Communications and Technology subcommittee, will have a lot of say over all things telecom, privacy, data, cybersecurity and Section 230. He’ll be a key figure in negotiations over renewing the FCC’s spectrum auction authority. His panel’s first hearing, on wireless, takes place tomorrow.
Hudson is also chairing the House GOP’s campaign arm again, giving him more leverage than your average subcommittee chair.
– Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) are chair and ranking member of the House’s China committee. As competition with Beijing becomes an even more important issue in tech policy, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi will take an outsized role.
The two are relatively in sync too, despite being from opposite sides of the aisle. That rare bit of bipartisanship gives them a little more heft. But Moolenaar will have to deal with Donald Trump’s meandering approach to TikTok and any other tension points over China when it comes to the new president’s relationship with congressional Republicans.
– Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) isn’t a chair, but he’s become a key voice for — you guessed it — China competition. He has an independent streak and was also one of the key figures behind the CHIPS and Science Act as well as a member of the Senate’s AI working group. We expect him to keep talking about funding CHIPS priorities and basic research in other areas concerning the tech of the future.
– Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) was a member of the bipartisan AI working group too. This year he’ll also be the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Given comprehensive energy permitting reform will likely have to come through bipartisan legislation, he will be an important player in those negotiations. As we’ve been reporting, the power demand of AI will be a key aspect of energy and tech policy for the years to come.
