The GOP Takes Aim at Google
As Meta and X yield to Trump, leading Republicans in Congress are now setting their sights on Google.
TroibNews 
Things are about to become tense for Google in Washington.
Top Republicans in Congress are ramping up pressure on the tech giant to adjust its content policies to be more favorable to the GOP, especially after successfully addressing similar concerns with social media platforms Meta and X.
Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz of Texas and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio are now focusing their efforts on Google and its parent company, Alphabet, which owns the leading search engine and the widely-used YouTube video platform.
Last month, Jordan issued a subpoena to Alphabet, demanding access to internal discussions and communications with the Biden administration regarding content moderation. Cruz has identified Google as “absolutely” his primary target among tech platforms, vowing to hold hearings and potentially draft legislation, although he hasn't detailed what those laws might entail.
Cruz recently held a one-on-one meeting with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to convey a clear ultimatum: modify Google's content policies or face significant consequences.
In their hour-long discussion, which hasn’t been reported until now, Cruz stated that he “explicitly and unambiguously” informed Pichai that his committee would scrutinize Google for what he described as ongoing efforts to restrict conservative content.
“Big Tech censorship was the single most important topic,” Cruz told PMG. He emphasized to Pichai the need for “policies that should be implemented” and asserted that the Google CEO “understands fully where I'm coming from and what we expect in terms of protecting free speech.”
A Google spokesperson chose not to comment on Cruz’s depiction of the meeting with Pichai.
Republicans have long criticized major tech platforms for exhibiting bias against them, claiming these companies suppressed coverage of stories like Hunter Biden’s laptop and suspended President Donald Trump from social media following the January 6 riot. Traditionally, their ire has been directed more towards Meta — which operates Facebook and Instagram — and the platform formerly known as Twitter.
However, this trend appears to be shifting. With Meta and X making concerted efforts to appease Republicans — and TikTok seemingly aligning with Trump — the focus has sharpened on Google. Cruz and Jordan are employing a pressure campaign aimed at compelling Google to modify its content policies, aligning them with adjustments made by corporate rivals, particularly Meta’s recent shifts to end fact-checking and ease restrictions on potentially disinformation-laden content.
A spokesperson for Cruz did not respond when asked about specific policy changes the senator is urging Google to adopt.
In response, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated that the company is dedicated to free speech and is “not a social media company” like Meta and X. He added that Google “never used fact checking as a factor in our ranking algorithms or to downrank or demote content.”
Cruz and Jordan emphasize their anti-Google campaign as a fight for “free speech” and against “censorship.”
Unlike its major competitors, Google has yet to reverse or significantly modify policies that limit disinformation or contentious speech following Trump's election.
Google’s content and advertising policies have intermittently drawn criticism from Cruz, Jordan, and other conservative lawmakers. The last significant concession by Google to Republican demands occurred in June 2023, when YouTube lifted a ban on videos falsely claiming that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
With over 250 million monthly active users in the U.S., YouTube surpasses TikTok. Conservatives argue that Google’s content policies significantly shape public perception of politics.
“Stopping online censorship is a major priority for the Commerce Committee,” Cruz stated regarding his goals for Google. “And we are going to utilize every point of leverage we have to protect free speech online.”
Congressional pressure has become a familiar challenge for Silicon Valley. Adam Kovacevich, head of the tech lobbying group Chamber of Progress and a former lobbyist for Google, described the escalating anti-Google campaign as “the latest chapter in a long saga” of Washington exerting influence over content moderation.
While Pichai has previously sought to maintain favor with the White House — notably appearing alongside other CEOs at Trump’s inauguration, to which Google contributed $1 million — he has not implemented the sweeping, Trump-friendly policy shifts seen by Meta or X.
Jordan has expressed a desire for YouTube to adopt changes similar to those made by Meta and X, which have suspended their fact-checking programs and relaxed previous limitations on content considered favorable to conservatives. When pressed for specifics, Jordan simply said Google should “let the First Amendment be the First Amendment.”
Some observers suggest that GOP lawmakers are more interested in getting another Big Tech firm to comply with Republican demands than in exact policy adjustments.
“They’re most likely trying to force voluntary concessions from Google, such as recommendation algorithms that favor conservative influencers or advertising policies that permit climate denialism,” noted Nu Wexler, a consultant and former communications staffer for leading tech companies, including Google.
Google maintains that its policies have not adversely affected conservatives.
“Our commitment to free expression has helped conservative voices, podcasters and creators have incredible reach and success on our platforms,” Castaneda asserted, pointing out the substantial popularity of platforms like Fox News and the Daily Wire on YouTube.
According to an anonymous lobbyist with Big Tech clients, there’s a perception among Jordan and his staff that, unlike Meta, Google has been less forthcoming with documents regarding its interactions with the Biden administration.
Another anonymous tech lobbyist suggested that Jordan believes that pressure from the House Judiciary Committee led to Meta’s pro-GOP policy adjustments. Having taken over the committee in 2023, Jordan has focused on investigating Meta for alleged bias.
“Clearly, the committee has a playbook that has worked for it, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see some versions of that go forward with their next most likely target,” the lobbyist remarked.
Whether Google will yield to this pressure remains uncertain. Pichai and other executives have withstood intense questioning from lawmakers in the past without significant repercussions. Subpoenas might reveal new information, but they’re unlikely to lead to major changes on their own. Although Cruz hinted at potential legislation to address Google’s purported bias, previous efforts to force platforms into compliance have largely failed.
“Cruz and Jordan have few legislative options since the First Amendment protects platform content moderation,” Wexler stated. While there’s potential for Republicans to “chip away at Section 230” — the law shielding platforms like Google from lawsuits stemming from user-generated content — Wexler noted that such changes “would harm [Trump’s] Truth Social and X more than Google.”
As top Republicans prepare to intensify their efforts, Trump seems to be warming to Google. “I love Google,” the president remarked during a recent Cabinet meeting. “They didn’t like me so much in the first administration, but they like me a lot now.”
Despite Google being the focus of scrutiny in Congress, Kovacevich suggests the company is well-equipped to navigate the challenges posed by congressional Republicans.
“All of the companies are very accustomed to being lobbied on content policies, just as much as they are lobbying government,” Kovacevich explained. “This is just a feature of their Washington work right now. . . . I think all of the companies have developed the muscles to deal with these kinds of requests.”
James del Carmen for TROIB News
Top Republicans in Congress are ramping up pressure on the tech giant to adjust its content policies to be more favorable to the GOP, especially after successfully addressing similar concerns with social media platforms Meta and X.
Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz of Texas and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio are now focusing their efforts on Google and its parent company, Alphabet, which owns the leading search engine and the widely-used YouTube video platform.
Last month, Jordan issued a subpoena to Alphabet, demanding access to internal discussions and communications with the Biden administration regarding content moderation. Cruz has identified Google as “absolutely” his primary target among tech platforms, vowing to hold hearings and potentially draft legislation, although he hasn't detailed what those laws might entail.
Cruz recently held a one-on-one meeting with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to convey a clear ultimatum: modify Google's content policies or face significant consequences.
In their hour-long discussion, which hasn’t been reported until now, Cruz stated that he “explicitly and unambiguously” informed Pichai that his committee would scrutinize Google for what he described as ongoing efforts to restrict conservative content.
“Big Tech censorship was the single most important topic,” Cruz told PMG. He emphasized to Pichai the need for “policies that should be implemented” and asserted that the Google CEO “understands fully where I'm coming from and what we expect in terms of protecting free speech.”
A Google spokesperson chose not to comment on Cruz’s depiction of the meeting with Pichai.
Republicans have long criticized major tech platforms for exhibiting bias against them, claiming these companies suppressed coverage of stories like Hunter Biden’s laptop and suspended President Donald Trump from social media following the January 6 riot. Traditionally, their ire has been directed more towards Meta — which operates Facebook and Instagram — and the platform formerly known as Twitter.
However, this trend appears to be shifting. With Meta and X making concerted efforts to appease Republicans — and TikTok seemingly aligning with Trump — the focus has sharpened on Google. Cruz and Jordan are employing a pressure campaign aimed at compelling Google to modify its content policies, aligning them with adjustments made by corporate rivals, particularly Meta’s recent shifts to end fact-checking and ease restrictions on potentially disinformation-laden content.
A spokesperson for Cruz did not respond when asked about specific policy changes the senator is urging Google to adopt.
In response, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated that the company is dedicated to free speech and is “not a social media company” like Meta and X. He added that Google “never used fact checking as a factor in our ranking algorithms or to downrank or demote content.”
Cruz and Jordan emphasize their anti-Google campaign as a fight for “free speech” and against “censorship.”
Unlike its major competitors, Google has yet to reverse or significantly modify policies that limit disinformation or contentious speech following Trump's election.
Google’s content and advertising policies have intermittently drawn criticism from Cruz, Jordan, and other conservative lawmakers. The last significant concession by Google to Republican demands occurred in June 2023, when YouTube lifted a ban on videos falsely claiming that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
With over 250 million monthly active users in the U.S., YouTube surpasses TikTok. Conservatives argue that Google’s content policies significantly shape public perception of politics.
“Stopping online censorship is a major priority for the Commerce Committee,” Cruz stated regarding his goals for Google. “And we are going to utilize every point of leverage we have to protect free speech online.”
Congressional pressure has become a familiar challenge for Silicon Valley. Adam Kovacevich, head of the tech lobbying group Chamber of Progress and a former lobbyist for Google, described the escalating anti-Google campaign as “the latest chapter in a long saga” of Washington exerting influence over content moderation.
While Pichai has previously sought to maintain favor with the White House — notably appearing alongside other CEOs at Trump’s inauguration, to which Google contributed $1 million — he has not implemented the sweeping, Trump-friendly policy shifts seen by Meta or X.
Jordan has expressed a desire for YouTube to adopt changes similar to those made by Meta and X, which have suspended their fact-checking programs and relaxed previous limitations on content considered favorable to conservatives. When pressed for specifics, Jordan simply said Google should “let the First Amendment be the First Amendment.”
Some observers suggest that GOP lawmakers are more interested in getting another Big Tech firm to comply with Republican demands than in exact policy adjustments.
“They’re most likely trying to force voluntary concessions from Google, such as recommendation algorithms that favor conservative influencers or advertising policies that permit climate denialism,” noted Nu Wexler, a consultant and former communications staffer for leading tech companies, including Google.
Google maintains that its policies have not adversely affected conservatives.
“Our commitment to free expression has helped conservative voices, podcasters and creators have incredible reach and success on our platforms,” Castaneda asserted, pointing out the substantial popularity of platforms like Fox News and the Daily Wire on YouTube.
According to an anonymous lobbyist with Big Tech clients, there’s a perception among Jordan and his staff that, unlike Meta, Google has been less forthcoming with documents regarding its interactions with the Biden administration.
Another anonymous tech lobbyist suggested that Jordan believes that pressure from the House Judiciary Committee led to Meta’s pro-GOP policy adjustments. Having taken over the committee in 2023, Jordan has focused on investigating Meta for alleged bias.
“Clearly, the committee has a playbook that has worked for it, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see some versions of that go forward with their next most likely target,” the lobbyist remarked.
Whether Google will yield to this pressure remains uncertain. Pichai and other executives have withstood intense questioning from lawmakers in the past without significant repercussions. Subpoenas might reveal new information, but they’re unlikely to lead to major changes on their own. Although Cruz hinted at potential legislation to address Google’s purported bias, previous efforts to force platforms into compliance have largely failed.
“Cruz and Jordan have few legislative options since the First Amendment protects platform content moderation,” Wexler stated. While there’s potential for Republicans to “chip away at Section 230” — the law shielding platforms like Google from lawsuits stemming from user-generated content — Wexler noted that such changes “would harm [Trump’s] Truth Social and X more than Google.”
As top Republicans prepare to intensify their efforts, Trump seems to be warming to Google. “I love Google,” the president remarked during a recent Cabinet meeting. “They didn’t like me so much in the first administration, but they like me a lot now.”
Despite Google being the focus of scrutiny in Congress, Kovacevich suggests the company is well-equipped to navigate the challenges posed by congressional Republicans.
“All of the companies are very accustomed to being lobbied on content policies, just as much as they are lobbying government,” Kovacevich explained. “This is just a feature of their Washington work right now. . . . I think all of the companies have developed the muscles to deal with these kinds of requests.”
James del Carmen for TROIB News
