(Bloomberg) — A bipartisan pair of lawmakers on Thursday vowed to keep a focus on reforming US antitrust laws to curb the power of Amazon.com, Inc; Apple Inc.; Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms, Inc.
Colorado Representative Ken Buck, a Republican, and Rhode Island Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat, launched a caucus in an effort to keep momentum for antitrust legislation targeting the biggest tech companies last year that almost passed last year.
The two lawmakers face an uphill battle since the new GOP majority has opposed those efforts and controls the House agenda.
Although the caucus does not have the same power as formal congressional committees, the lawmakers said they will hold hearings, support legislation and educate fellow lawmakers about their views on anti-monopoly policy.
“The Congressional Antitrust Caucus will give members of Congress who care about holding monopolies accountable and encouraging competition in the Big Tech marketplace an opportunity to bring competition policy to the floor of the US House of Representatives and minds of the American people,” Buck said in a statement.
Cicilline in a statement said the caucus will “ensure that our critical work to rein in Big Tech continues.”
The caucus announcement comes only days after House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio named Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, a rigid libertarian, to serve as the head of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee. The appointment was a snub to Buck, who was the panel’s ranking member last Congress.
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