(Bloomberg) — A coalition of progressive groups is calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to recuse himself from legislation intended to crack down on technology giants, saying he has a conflict of interest because his daughters work at Amazon.com Inc.
and Meta Platforms Inc.
Sixteen groups, which have been advocating for the antitrust bills, wrote in a letter to Schumer Friday that he shouldn’t oversee the floor vote on the measures because of his daughters’ ties to the companies.
“While you have claimed to support antitrust legislation seeking to rein in Big Tech companies, your continued failure to put the bills to a full Senate vote raises the question of whether you are covertly seeking to run out the clock before the legislation can pass,” the groups wrote in the letter, which was seen by Bloomberg News.
The letter is just one example of how activists are stepping up their pressure campaign against Schumer, who hasn’t scheduled the legislation for a floor vote despite a pledge that the bills would get one by early summer.
Protesters have also placed billboards outside his homes in Washington and New York.
Jessica Schumer is a registered lobbyist for Amazon, while Alison Schumer works for Meta.
There is precedent for Schumer to recuse himself.
He did so during congressional deliberations around Comcast Corp.’s attempted purchase of Time Warner Cable in 2014 because his brother Robert Schumer was a lawyer involved in the deal.
“It would be appropriate for you to follow the same ethical standard in this matter,” wrote the coalition, which includes anti-monopoly groups American Economic Liberties Project and Demand Progress.
The groups suggested that Schumer should tap Majority Whip Dick Durbin, the Democratic Senator from Illinois, to schedule the bills for a floor vote.
The bills, the American Choice and Innovation Act and the Open App Markets Act, would prevent the largest tech companies from using their gatekeeper power to discriminate against rivals.
They have been the subject of vigorous lobbying campaigns by Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Amazon, Apple Inc. and Meta. The companies have spent millions of dollars to defeat the legislation, which would change some of their fundamental business practices.
Schumer’s office and representatives for Amazon and Meta didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
While the judicial branch is subject to a web of conflict-of-interest laws, lawmakers have very few restrictions and it’s rare for members of Congress to recuse themselves from specific votes.
But there is some precedent.
The late Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, recused himself from voting on alcohol-related legislation because his wife, Cindy Hensley McCain, was an heiress to a major beer distribution company.
John McCain didn’t vote on bills requiring alcoholic beverage producers to provide government labels on containers.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
