David Cicilline To Resign From Congress; Rhode Island Lawmaker Championed Antitrust Bills To Curb Power Of Big Tech

Ted Johnson
·2 min read
4
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), who has championed a set of antitrust bills to curb the power of big tech, said that he plans to resign from Congress on June 1 to take a job at a non profit foundation.

Cicilline will serve as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.

More from Deadline

“The chance to lead the Rhode Island Foundation was unexpected, but it is an extraordinary opportunity to have an even more direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents of our state,” Cicilline said in a statement.

In the last Congress, as the chair of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, Cicilline, along with its top Republican, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), championed a set of bills aimed at curtailing the power of Google, Facebook and other major tech companies. The bills, including one that could have led to the breakup of major platforms, advanced in the House Judiciary Committee. But the more consequential bills never made it to the floor amid opposition from the tech industry lobby.

The prospects for such legislation advancing in this Congress also have dimmed with the new Republican majority in the House. Buck was replaced as chair of the antitrust subcommittee by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who is viewed as much more of a libertarian when it comes to using government regulation to rein in markets.

Cicilline also presided over a 16-month investigation of competition in the digital marketplace. He also was a manager in the House’s second impeachment of Donald Trump. The former mayor of Providence, Cicilline also earned a Screen Actors Guild membership for playing himself on the TV series Providence.

 

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.