Big Tech edges closer to break up after deeply unhinged markup

Democrats like Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Republicans like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) argued that the bill could make it easier for American companies to transfer user data to Chinese ones.The bill was later approved, but Democrats, like Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), promised that their decision to push the bill through committee didn’t mean that they will vote for it later on the floor.Early Thursday morning, lawmakers moved on to the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act. The measure would bar large tech platforms from buying up nascent competitors — think Facebook buying Instagram in 2012. At a press conference Thursday, Pelosi told reporters, “There has been concern on both sides of the aisle about the consolidation of power of the tech companies and this legislation is an attempt to address that.” She continued, “We are not going to ignore the consolidation that has happened and the concern that exists on both sides of the aisle.” Of the six bills, the merger filing fee measure is the only one headed into conference where House and Senate lawmakers will tinker with the language before it lands on President Biden’s desk.