Washington Post: Biden’s Commerce chief is under fire from Warren, progressives for defending U.S. tech giants

December 15, 2021 Media

When Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo voiced concerns last week that proposals under consideration in the European Union might disproportionately impact U.S. digital behemoths like Google and Apple, she drew praise from groups backed by the tech industry. It marked a rare moment of unity with an administration that has leaned into reining in Big Tech companies.

But one top progressive lawmaker and a slew of advocates are pushing back on the remarks, which they say stand in conflict with President Biden’s aggressive approach to competition policy, including tapping prominent Big Tech critics as key enforcers.

The schism highlights ongoing tensions within the Democratic Party over how to curb what many of its leaders see as competitive abuses by tech giants that are largely from the United States, including whether to embrace efforts by policymakers overseas to crack down on their practices. And it’s raising questions about a potential disconnect between Commerce and the White House.

In a letter shared exclusively with The Technology 202, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told Raimondo on Tuesday that her remarks “appear to publicly undermine the Administration’s previously announced policies to protect consumers and workers from Big Tech monopolies.”

Warren isn’t alone in wanting more clarity from Raimondo on how her views align, or not, with the White House. On Wednesday, a group of more than 20 progressive, anti-monopoly and consumer groups including Demand Progress and the American Economic Liberties Project urged the secretary in a separate missive to “reconsider” her stance on the matter.

“We urge you to join the Biden administration’s whole-of-government commitment to eliminating abusive monopolies in every industry,” the groups wrote.