THE CRUNCH
Democrats are preparing a broad push against the tech industry after winning majorities in both the House and Senate, with committee gavels changing hands in January. Lawmakers have promised to haul tech CEOs before committees under oath, investigate corporate influence and pursue tougher guardrails on AI and data centres. Rep. Greg Casar said AI company CEOs "should be called to testify under oath", while Sen. Ed Markey quipped that new forests would need planting for all the subpoenas Democrats plan to print.
Investigations of Elon Musk are also on the agenda, according to reporting by The Verge. Democratic lawmakers told Politico they are eyeing his role in the Department of Government Efficiency, his alleged conflicts of interest and reported disruption of Starlink service to Ukraine. House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin has already demanded information from Amazon, Google, Meta and Oracle about nondisclosure agreements for public officials considering data centre proposals.
Not every Democrat wants hearings for their own sake. Rep. Sam Liccardo, a Silicon Valley lawmaker, told The Verge his party should come to the table "with solutions, not with slogans", and thinks AI safety rules, data centres and AI's impact on jobs should top the agenda.
Legislation may prove harder than investigation. TD Cowen's Washington Research Group expects President Trump to veto any AI safety bill that would slow AI model release cycles, and anticipates fresh antitrust efforts will stall before a floor vote or meet the same fate.