When I started working in the Senate this year, I wondered how big of a priority technology policy would be during my time on the Hill. 2020 was supposed to be business as usual in the Senate with annual appropriations and defense bills giving way to a highly anticipated Presidential election. However, a few weeks into my time on the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) that all changed as a global pandemic, in the form of the novel Coronavirus, ravaged America and the world.
In a flash, governments around the world implemented quarantines and lockdowns that interrupted business operations and separated friends, families, and neighbors. Suddenly, normal activities many of us took for granted such as getting haircuts, going to the office, and hanging out with friends at restaurants were either no longer permitted or considered potentially dangerous. As a result, society needed to adapt and become more reliant on technology and the internet for nearly every interaction and transaction. This new reality made it more important than ever for the Senate to address the technology issues affecting the American public and the operations of Congress itself.
With American citizens now relying almost entirely on the internet and telecommunications to maintain social connections and business operations, Congress could no longer make content moderation, encryption, privacy, the broadband digital divide, and many other important technology matters secondary issues. The time to make technology policy a top priority on Capitol Hill had arrived, and nearly every conversation and meeting I participated in reflected that fact. Congress now had the difficult job of creating and implementing effective and responsible technology policy, and the need for technical experts to inform policymakers on these vital issues grew exponentially right before my eyes.
Not only did Congress need to address the technological needs of their constituencies, but they also needed to adapt and update their own processes and procedures. For example, during the COVID 19 pandemic it became difficult for Senators to carry out their voting duties because their votes are done in person on the Senate floor. The Coronavirus created obstacles for Senators to meet in person to vote on key legislation that would provide the necessary assistance and support many Americans need to survive during this brutal pandemic. Wanting to serve the American people during these difficult times, Chairman Portman made remote Senate voting a top priority and tasked my team with finding a technical solution to the problem. We accomplished this task and memorialized our findings and policy recommendations into a comprehensive report that was supplemented by the first ever PSI “Virtual Roundtable” to discuss our findings and recommendations.
The elevation of technology policy issues in Congress due to the American public’s increased reliance on technology over the past year ensures that there will be a rising need for technical expertise amongst policymakers in Congress. Thankfully, there is a new amazingly talented class of TechCongress Fellows that will fill this void, and help craft the new technology policy solutions that will benefit Congress and all Americans in the near future!
John was a 2020 fellow and served with the Senate Homeland Security Committee Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations majority staff under Chairman Rob Portman (R-OH).