WASHINGTON EXAMINER

CONSERVATIVE KEN BUCK DEFIES GOP LEADERSHIP IN CHARGE AGAINST BIG TECH

Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado has transformed himself from a free-market evangelist to a crusader against tech monopolies.

a man sitting in a chair talking on the phone© Provided by Washington Examiner

Buck, the top Republican on the powerful House antitrust subcommittee, has played a key role in forging a bipartisan agreement in Congress that would rein in Big Tech companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple.

A staunch conservative and ally of former President Donald Trump, Buck has become known for being fiercely independent and single-minded when it comes to tackling the tech giants, even if it means taking on prominent members of his own party, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his political “hero” Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

“Ken has been a leader on tech, and he’s doing it with significant opposition from leaders in his own party. I admire someone who has that kind of courage,” said Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, the liberal chairman of the House antitrust panel who has worked with Buck for the past two years on legislation to crack down on Big Tech.

ANTI-BIG TECH ANTITRUST PUSH EXPECTED UNDER BIDEN

Buck and Cicilline passed six sweeping anti-monopoly bills through the House Judiciary Committee in June after investigating the issue for 17 months. The bills, aimed at limiting the economic power of the tech giants by expanding the capabilities of antitrust law, are expected to be brought to the House floor later this year by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Many Republicans, including McCarthy and Jordan, oppose the bills, arguing they fail to address th