A compelling initiative aimed at curbing the influence of tech companies on members of Congress has called on leaders from both major parties to reject donations from major tech giants. In a letter sent on Tuesday, the “No Big Tech Money” campaign, which recently launched with support from groups across the political spectrum, urged lawmakers to make a public commitment to refuse any contributions from executives and lobbyists at Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. This pledge encompasses both personal donations and contributions made through party campaign arms and associated PACs.
The letter, an exclusive copy of which was shared with The Hill, emphasizes that taking the No Big Tech Money pledge would be a powerful step towards reducing the corrupting influence of Big Tech on our democratic institutions and economic competition. It stresses the importance of rejecting the continuous dominance of Big Tech and advancing the interests of small businesses and consumers.
The recipients of the letter included Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and the chairs overseeing the Democratic and Republican campaign arms.
The primary goal of the “No Big Tech Money” campaign is to reduce the influence of tech giants in Washington and strengthen efforts to enhance antitrust laws that restrict the power of major tech companies, particularly Meta, Amazon, Google, and Apple.
In the previous Congress, two significant bills aimed at reforming antitrust laws and targeting the power of tech giants, namely the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act, gained bipartisan support and advanced in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. Unfortunately, despite this bipartisan backing, both bills failed to pass after facing an intense lobbying campaign fueled by the tech industry.
Despite ongoing efforts to build momentum, the lack of support from House Republican leadership makes it highly unlikely for these bills to pass this year.
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