WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican who has been a staunch critic of Big Tech, said Monday he introduced a bill that would ban all mergers and acquisitions by any company with a higher market value. $ 100 billion, a category that includes the five largest technology companies in the United States.
Hawley, who accuses the largest social media companies of stifling conservative voices, has also criticized other sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, which he said are too focused and have too much market power.
Its new bill would effectively ban Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc., Google Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc. from any transactions and will try to stop their platforms from favoring their own products over those of rivals.
Hawley’s bill addresses some of the same issues as an antitrust bill introduced by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in February and contains some similar measures.
Asked about Klobuchar’s bill, Hawley said: “I am willing to work with her and anyone from any party and from any background. I really like what Senator Klobuchar proposed. ”
He described his bill as “significantly tougher”.
In the House of Representatives, Rep. David Cicilline said he intends to introduce a number of antitrust bills.
Hawley was also asked if he would support technical critic Lina Khan, a progressive who was nominated to be a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, which works with the Justice Department to enforce antitrust law. Hawley said he was “very impressed” with her, but added: “I haven’t made a final decision.”
Report by Diane Bartz in Washington; Edited by Matthew Lewis