The Republican House Majority Might Protect Industries From New Taxes and Regulations

According to one analyst, the stalemate in Washington is beneficial to American industry. Long ago, Republican victories at the polls translated into advantages for the corporate lobby in Washington. Despite the party’s growing populist tilt, this election is unlikely to be an exception.

Because the Republican will takeover over the House, Republicans will be able to thwart Democratic efforts to enact additional rules or taxes on fossil-fuel corporations, private equity firms, cigarette manufacturers, and pharmaceutical companies.

In addition, with President Biden in office and Democrats having a razor-thin majority in the Senate, Washington is not likely to accomplish much during the next two years.

Specifically, the Republican takeover of the House bodes positively for corporate sectors with sympathizers among House Republicans, such as Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the leading contender to be chosen speaker of the House in January for the next two-year session of Congress.

These companies include the bitcoin sector, large online platforms, and gig-economy firms like Uber Technologies Inc. and DoorDash Inc.

Elon Musk, who enjoys the support of Republicans, including Mr. McCarthy, who calls him a buddy, is another victor. In 2020, Republicans applauded Elon Musk’s defiance of government limitations on commercial activities amid the coronavirus epidemic.

Mr. Musk might gain Republican backing if he seeks government contracts for Space Exploration Technologies Corp., avoids content rules on Twitter Inc., and avoids unionization attempts at Tesla Inc.

Undoubtedly, Republicans do not all have the same corporate philosophy. There is a growing chasm between the party’s conventional pro-business group and populists who feel that many U.S. firms are overly devoted to progressive issues.

Republicans are contemplating holding hearings to interrogate Walt Disney Co., major banks, and other corporations on their environmental, social, and governance projects, which some conservatives believe favor liberal objectives.

Mr. McCarthy said in a statement a Republican majority would use all available tools to ensure transparency and accountability for coordinated efforts that aim to destroy American industry; the Federal Government collaborated with large companies to appease woke political activists through ESG and equity mandates.

The newly strengthened Republican committee heads will likely focus many hearings on the Biden administration. Oversight hearings are already being held to thwart the regulatory ambitions of the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and other agencies.

McCarthy’s officials stated that after two years of Democratic control of Congress, enhancing scrutiny of the Biden administration would be a top goal.

Since former President Donald Trump’s ascension to office six years ago, Mr. McCarthy has exhibited a growing populist bent. It has been reported that McCarthy has clashed with the U.S. Commerce Chamber about their support of House Democrats candidates.

Executive vice president and chief policy officer for the Chamber, Neil Bradley, stated that they look forward to continuing to engage with Congress leadership. Mr. Bradley stated that Chamber representatives began meeting with newly elected Republican legislators last week to discuss collaboration.

Nonetheless, Republicans continue to be more pro-business and anti-regulation than their Democratic colleagues.

As a result, the incoming Republican House might benefit the business by slowing down new and planned regulations from the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers, who have pushed for measures to ensure better competition throughout the American industrial sector. Particularly large technological corporations are anticipated to have fewer conflicts in the future.

It is unclear whether Republicans will advance meaningful measures to enhance antitrust regulations controlling the technology sector. Mr. McCarthy, echoing the sentiments of many other Republican members, has opposed legislation prohibiting tech platforms like Amazon.com Inc. from promoting their items, arguing that it would provide regulators unchecked authority.

Recently, IT corporations have been among the GOP’s backers. According to data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics, Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Inc., which owns Facebook, gave slightly more to Republicans than to Democrats through their political action committees during the 2021-22 election cycle.

The House Republican platform, “Commitment to America,” states that it will address injustice in the market for web applications, which is now controlled by Google and Apple Inc., without changing antitrust legislation.

In addition, the Republican platform does not support several significant antitrust bills that have been close to passage in the current Congress.

On the other hand, a GOP-led House could propose amending Section 230, Communications Decency Act of 1996, which Republicans claim social media platforms have used to censor conservative views.

Section 230 exempts internet platforms from accountability for third-party material on their website but also allows them carte blanche to eliminate disagreeable viewpoints.

Mr. McCarthy desires to eliminate and replace the present internet liability regulations. Mr. McCarthy may struggle to keep control of his rowdy Republican caucus, and some legislators may seek discharge petitions to pass anti-technology legislation. A discharge petition permits advocates to compel a vote on a bill that the leadership is attempting to obstruct.

There will be a discharge petition in the House, if Kevin McCarthy doesn’t support these bipartisan measures, said Mike Davis, head of the Internet Accountability Project. This conservative-leaning organization has been critical of the businesses.

While Democrats currently control the House, the transition to Republican control and McCarthy’s apparent lack of interest in advancing harsh antitrust legislation directed at tech corporations might expedite attempts to enact serious tech regulation.

Legislators are convening for the next two weeks in a post-election lame-duck session. They are already under pressure to explore, among other measures, stricter antitrust rules and privacy protections for youngsters.

Meanwhile, gig-economy businesses like Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub Inc. may look to Republicans to thwart Democratic efforts to strengthen employee benefits and make it easier for workers to form unions.

Other sectors may benefit as their proponents assume key positions in the next Congress. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) wants to push through legislation establishing a regulatory framework for Bitcoin in his new role as chair of the House Financial Services Committee.

The failure of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, according to a spokesperson for Mr. McHenry, makes it more imperative for Congress to pass laws on the subject. Mr. McHenry had championed the topic for more than a year in the House, but he encountered opposition from progressive Democrats who will have less influence in the next Congress.

Republican initiatives to expand domestic energy output might be advantageous for the oil-and-gas business. A priority might be a bill to expedite the federal approval process for new energy projects.

The legislation has received support from both parties, including that of a prominent Democrat in the Senate, Joe Manchin of West Virginia.