Cicilline: Buck’s Demotion Is Punishment for Bipartisan Antitrust Efforts
House Republican leadership removed Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., as top Republican on the House Antitrust Subcommittee to punish him for his bipartisan antitrust efforts, House Antitrust Subcommittee ranking member David Cicilline, D-R.I., told us this week.
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Buck was subcommittee ranking member in 2022 and introduced several bipartisan bills with Cicilline, Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. After winning the majority, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chose Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., as subcommittee chairman.
“It was very clear early on that the leaders of the Republican conference, Mr. Jordan and [House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.] did not support” Buck’s efforts, said Cicilline. “So he was not only fighting the biggest economic powers of our generation, he was fighting his own Republican leadership, so I suppose it’s not surprising that they punished him by removing him as the chairman of the subcommittee.” The decision shows “their contempt for competition policy and the importance of reining in Big Tech and their positions in favor of monopolies and against competition.” Cicilline said he will continue his bipartisan efforts and hopes Massie is serious about his commitment to restoring competition in the digital marketplace.
Republicans are focused on regulation, for which Massie is well-suited, Jordan told us. Asked about the job Buck did in 2022, Jordan said, “Ken was fine. We just thought the way we restructured, that Thomas would be great.” Stopping Big Tech “censorship” will be a focal point in 2023, he said: “We’ve always been really concerned about Big Tech, big government, what we learn from the Twitter files, what we all suspected and what’s been proven. We’re obviously still focused on that.”
Buck told us he’s “not surprised but disappointed.” Asked whether he knew the reasoning for the decision, Buck said, “No. I mean, we had disagreements. Jim, Kevin and I had disagreements.” Buck said he has spoken to Massie, and it's unclear whether Massie wants to pursue any of the bipartisan bills from 2022.
“Ken and I sat down and had a good conversation,” said Massie. “We’ll have more conversations about if there’s something that can be distilled from that.” Asked about his priorities for the subcommittee, Massie said: “It’s hard for monopolies to survive without handouts and carve-outs from the federal government and scaled, prejudicial regulations and indemnifications. So what we need to do first is quit feeding the monopolies, quit enabling them and quit punishing their competition.”
Buck and Cicilline announced the formation Thursday of the Congressional Antitrust Caucus, which is committed to “holding Big Tech and monopolies accountable, promoting healthy competition in the economy, and advocating for hardworking and law-abiding consumers and business owners.”
“I look forward to continuing to work on these issues,” said Cicilline. Buck “helped build a broad, bipartisan coalition both in the House and the Senate to support restoring real competition in the digital marketplace in reining in the monopoly power of Big Tech.” Cicilline said he plans to reintroduce his bills and hopes Massie “will be part of that effort.”
Expect reintroduction of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) (S-673), Klobuchar told us. It will be harder to get the bill through the House this congress, said lead Republican sponsor Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. Asked if he's 100% ready to sponsor the legislation again, he said he wants to see what Klobuchar plans to file first. Kennedy said his recommendation is for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a full committee hearing on the legislation, rather than the subcommittee hearing in 2022 on the bill. A full committee hearing offers a better chance for broad consensus, he said.