By David Lawder
(Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday expressed concern the Trump administration’s tariff negotiations would favor big technology firms at the expense of consumers and workers.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Warren said Big Tech has long sought to use trade negotiations to “undermine pro-consumer, pro-competition policies.” She asked for details on the officials’ interactions with tech industry executives.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Warren has for years argued in favor of stronger regulation on big technology firms.
President Donald Trump has taken a stance favorable to the technology sector, taking aim at foreign governments’ regulatory restrictions and digital services taxes aimed at capturing revenue from Meta, Apple, Alphabet’s Google, Amazon and other U.S. tech firms.
Trump in February ordered a revival of tariff retaliation probes over digital services taxes, and Greer and Bessent have raised U.S. opposition to digital services taxes as part of trade negotiations.
In her letter, Warren said she was concerned by a list of 10 digital trade grievances against U.S. trading partners posted by USTR on X, including the European Union’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act and South Korea’s cross-border data flow restrictions.
KEY QUOTE: Warren said that given the industry’s large donations, presence at Trump’s inauguration and its success in lobbying for temporary tariff exemptions, “I am gravely concerned renegotiated trade deals will be used to advance Big Tech’s anti-consumer agenda while doing nothing to promote U.S. manufacturing or help American workers.”
Spokespersons for USTR, the Treasury and the Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
