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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
The name of the game this year in tech policy is deregulation.
Why it matters: Republicans on the Hill and in the White House will replace talk of AI regulation with fostering innovation to compete with China.
- Lawmakers will be wary of messing with companies' liability shield in efforts to protect consumers.
Here's what that could look like...
Protecting kids online: House leaders are planning to take a different approach from the Kids Online Safety Act this Congress.
- "It's essential to get this issue right and House Republicans look forward to working with the Trump Administration to get the right bill into law," House Speaker Mike Johnson said in December.
- With Sen. Ted Cruz now in charge of the Commerce Committee, we expect his bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act to come back up after failing to make it into the final CR.
- Unlike other measures that placed a heavier burden on companies themselves, Cruz's bill would require platforms to take down deepfake pornography of children and criminalizes posting such content.
China competition: Popular measures targeting China that were stripped from the CR are likely to pass after President-elect Trump and Republicans take over and can take credit.
- That includes a measure to restrict U.S. money flowing to China's tech sector introduced by Reps. John Moolenaar and Andy Barr.
- The House China Select Committee was renewed and Moolenaar is expected to remain chair, according to a committee aide.
Regulating AI: Bipartisan House and Senate roadmaps will need to be reconciled or re-thought.
- Specific bills were not named in the House AI task force report because lawmakers could not agree on the nitty gritty of policymaking and we expect that to continue to be a challenge for Congress.
- House leaders are discussing whether the AI task force will continue, according to an aide.
- There is also a focus on the Hill on how to best enforce existing laws that would take attention away from passing legislation.
- The CREATE AI Act, one bill that almost made it across the finish line last year, faces opposition from Cruz, who may want a rebrand before final passage.
Spending: Lawmakers have until March 14 to pass a government funding package, and have heard repeatedly from tech and science agency heads who say they are grossly underfunded.
- Republicans are laser-focused on cutting spending.
- The new approach is shaping out to be using the money that is allocated more efficiently, including through the use of AI, according to House AI task force leaders.
- Elon Musk helped to tank the first attempt to pass a CR in December, and we'll be watching how he and his DOGE commission could shape the upcoming funding package.
