With an influx of newer, younger members in Congress who understand tech better than their predecessors, the time is right for Congress to get its act together on technology policy. Emerging technology is continuing to reshape society and the economy at rocket speed, making it necessary to put guardrails in place. Meanwhile, the tech industry is amassing power in the Trump administration and exerting more influence over policy.
History teaches that new blood, economic upheaval, and executive overreach are the recipe for overcoming congressional paralysis. In the 1970s, stagflation, the Vietnam War, and other factors reshaped the economy. After the Watergate scandal revealed serious misconduct in the executive branch, a wave of new young lawmakers, known as the “Watergate babies,” came to Congress to clean up politics. Though most of them were Democrats, rallying against a power-hungry executive united both parties. The bipartisan spirit of change and a shared vision prompted Congress to pass sweeping institutional reforms, reclaiming its war powers and power of the purse and reorganizing to better regulate the economy.
Today is also seeing new members, economic disruption, and a president usurping congressional authorities. The tech sector is a major driver of the economy, and the last few years have brought a flurry of legislation aimed at the industry. Measures include key online safety legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act and the Take It Down Act, and consumer protection legislation such as the Detour Act and the America Privacy Rights Act. Despite this ramp up, much more work is needed to install guardrails, including the burgeoning AI field.
The 119th Congress is younger than its predecessors, with millennial and Gen Z members who are more tech savvy than their elders. Just a few years ago, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) lamented, “To be honest, Congress doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing in this area.” Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), who has a master’s degree in AI, said “You’d be surprised how much time I spend explaining to my colleagues that the chief dangers of AI will not come from evil robots with red lasers coming out of their eyes.” The dearth of staff and congressional resources on science policy certainly contribute to the problem, but even more important for shaping policy is lived experience.
A Los Angeles Times article characterized the members who came to Congress in 2019 as trying to “reshape and redefine the traditional role of a first-term House member. They have generally been more active on social media and more engaged with their constituents than their elder statesmen. Several quickly established national profiles by speaking out on issues at hearings and in public or pushed narrow bills that helped their constituents.” Members who have entered Congress in the last few years are both tech savvy in their own work and energized to make changes in tech policy. New representatives like Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA), who introduced legislation to create regulations for autonomous vehicles, are behind key pieces of tech legislation.
Meanwhile, the tech industry is amassing unprecedented power in the Trump administration. At President Trump’s 2025 inauguration, tech leaders including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Tim Cook of Apple, Elon Musk of Tesla, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon were seated front and center — even in front of cabinet members. In the next few months, Elon Musk, who also owns X, wielded tremendous power as head of DOGE.
Tech is also spending huge amounts of money to shape policies. Overall, the industry spent more than $17.5 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2025, compared to just over $10 million in 2020.
Congress has all the ingredients to catalyze action to rein in the tech oligarchy — new and younger members who understand the stakes, a rallying cry to push back against the executive branch, and a sense of urgency to regulate a mushrooming sector of the economy.
But they are missing important tools. Congress lacks a centralized tech committee in either the House or the Senate. Committees are a focal point for specialization and a way of apportioning responsibility, so the huge job of tech regulation is not concentrated with any one group of lawmakers. As a result, things fall between the jurisdictional cracks as many different committees try to handle the issue. From an organizational perspective, too many cooks in the kitchen leads to inefficiency and inaction. A dedicated tech committee with expert staff is essential for Congress to effectively regulate tech. Such a committee would ensure that there is a consolidated effort instead of disparate ones, and skilled staff with technical knowledge of the industry would fortify Congress from the lobbying power of the tech lobby.
With the tools and the incentive structure in place, Congress will be ready to take action on tech.
Maya Kornberg is the author of the forthcoming book Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress, which documents lessons from congressional changemakers over the past 50 years and argues for urgent reforms to improve Congress.
