L-R from top row: Sens. Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Chuck Grassley, Dick Durbin, Rand Paul and Gary Peters. Photos: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, Drew Angerer/Getty Images, Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
It's time to meet the senators who will be at the center of tech regulatory efforts in the committees known for blockbuster hearings with Big Tech executives.
Why it matters: AI, protecting kids online, internet programs, antitrust and high-skilled immigration are just some of the issues that could heat up this year.
The Commerce Committee includes three new Republicans — Sens. Bernie Moreno, Tim Sheehy, and John Curtis — and three new Democrats — Sens. John Fetterman, Andy Kim, and Lisa Blunt Rochester.
- Notable mentions: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a telecom policy wonk, will remain on the panel, and former chair Sen. Maria Cantwell will be ranking member.
Chair Ted Cruz has said the committee will focus on expanding spectrum access and boosting commercial space exploration.
- "My top priority in this role remains the same as it has throughout my entire career in the Senate: pursuing policies that will create jobs and spur economic growth," Cruz said in a statement this week.
- Cruz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar's TAKE IT DOWN Act is also a leading proposal to protect kids online that could make it past the finish line.
Moreno is among the wave of politicians who won election with crypto backing and supports loosening regulations on the industry.
- Moreno and Sheehy have spoken out against TikTok, but we're watching how that position among the GOP changes as President-elect Trump's views do.
- Moreno also has said CHIPS and Science Act commitments to projects should be honored.
Fetterman, rejecting progressive politics, will be a wild card on the panel.
- Fetterman has previously teamed up with Cruz to introduce a bill that would limit kids' access to social media in schools.
The Judiciary Committee includes three new Republicans: Sens. Eric Schmitt, Katie Britt and Mike Crapo. Crapo is a placeholder on the committee, and will likely be replaced once the full Senate conference is finalized this Congress.
- Sens. Tom Cotton and Jon Ossoff have left the panel.
Chair Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin have gone after Big Tech monopolies in the past.
- Durbin has also focused on protecting kids online and stopping the spread of child sexual abuse material.
Schmitt is another Big Tech critic on the committee, introducing legislation with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to ensure competition in the AI and cloud computing markets.
- Schmitt has also introduced legislation that would strip online platforms of their liability shield if they continue to allegedly censor conservative speech, a complaint that companies are already responding to as Trump prepares to take office.
The Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee's new chair, Sen. Rand Paul, will shake things up as he continues to focus on stopping government waste.
- His railing against government fraud waste and abuse could gain more momentum than ever before as the incoming administration elevates Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency advisory commission.
- Paul is adamant about protecting free speech and is one of the few lawmakers on Capitol Hill who voted against the sale-or-ban TikTok bill.
- Sen. Gary Peters, the former chair, will serve as ranking member this Congress.
What's next: Senators will be focused on confirmation hearings for Trump's nominees as this Congress kicks off, and they'll be filling out the subcommittee rosters.
- Budget reconciliation is also a major priority for Hill Republicans, but the spending bills due in mid-March could be the first vehicle for tech bills to get through.
