René Muñoz, the chief of staff of California Democrat Lou Correa, has recently been found to have lobbied on behalf of Amazon and Apple. This has come to light at a time when Muñoz is serving as the chief of staff to the new top Democrat on the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust. He had worked at the lobbying firm Federal Street Strategies, where he represented Amazon and Apple, among other corporations, as clients. Before that, he worked for other Democratic representatives in Congress, including Cicilline who spearheaded a major investigation into the competition practices of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook in 2019.
Concerns Raised by Progressives
Muñoz’s background is likely to upset progressives who have been supporting efforts to reform the rules of digital competition. Correa, who voted against the legislation introduced by Cicilline to limit the power of tech giants, became the ranking member of the subcommittee, and Muñoz became his chief of staff in November 2022. Demand Progress communications director Maria Langholz called Correa’s elevation to the role “a profound disappointment,” in a statement after his selection was announced, citing his opposition to a package of tech antitrust bills championed by Cicilline, who recently left Congress and vacated the spot.
Lobbying Disclosures
Public disclosures have revealed that Muñoz lobbied Congress on the same areas that Correa is now overseeing. Although his ability to influence the agenda while in the minority is limited, ranking members can often serve an important role in pushing back on the majority or in messaging to industry and agencies. Some fear that it will now be harder to replace Correa with a more reform-minded Democrat. In filings across multiple quarters, Muñoz is listed as one of three lobbyists for Federal Street Strategies who worked on issue areas related to several bills that passed through the House Judiciary Committee while Cicilline led the antitrust subcommittee.
For example, in the second and third quarters of 2021, Muñoz is listed as one of three lobbyists who engaged with Congress on behalf of Apple in areas related to the six bills that made up Cicilline’s cornerstone package on tech antitrust. That includes the period right around the time that package passed through the House Judiciary Committee in June 2021. Lobbying disclosures by Federal Street indicate that Muñoz was similarly one of three lobbyists who engaged on behalf of Amazon on areas related to those bills during the same period. However, the disclosures do not indicate which specific bills Muñoz lobbied on.
The bills in the package included the Ending Platform Monopolies Act, which could lead to a breakup of dominant online platforms by prohibiting them from owning business lines that present a conflict of interest. They also included the American Choice and Innovation Online Act, which would prohibit top platforms from favoring their products over rivals’ in their marketplaces or discriminating against competitors. It was the precursor to a Senate version of the bill that gained steam last year by passing out of the Judiciary committee in that chamber, but it ultimately failed to reach the floor after significant tech lobbying.
The tech industry and its trade groups have spent millions on lobbying, including against antitrust bills that would restrict key elements of their business models. Apple notably ramped up its overall lobbying spending in 2022, reaching $9.4 million, a 44% increase compared to the prior year. Its fourth-quarter filing showed it lobbied on antitrust bills as well as online privacy issues, taxes, semiconductor policy, and more. Amazon spent the most of the tech giants in 2022, coming in at $19.7 million. The e-commerce giant also lobbied on tech antitrust as well as issues around cloud computing and counterfeit goods.
A spokesperson for Correa said, “The Congressman’s Chief of Staff has spent nearly two decades in public service, most of which being spent in the halls of Congress. He’s fought tirelessly to serve elected representatives from every corner of the country in their missions to uplift their constituents and better the lives of every working family. It’s because of that unwavering commitment and history of service that Congressman Correa brought him aboard his team—to work by his side in his fight for the hard-working taxpayers he represents right here in Orange County.”
Leave a Reply