Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Thune Hopes Republicans Stay Away From Net Neutrality CRA

Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-SD) said he’s “hopeful” Republicans steer clear of the Congressional Review Act resolution to reverse the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) became the first GOP lawmaker to support the measure from Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) has indicated that he’s considering the proposal. Republican support is vital to achieve the simple majority needed for the measure to pass the upper chamber. “The longer this sort of thing drags out and the more it looks like Democrats might have the votes in the Senate, the harder it is to get Democrats in the Senate to work with us,” Chairman Thune said, adding that he’s “open for business” when it comes to net neutrality legislation. He said he’s talked up legislation to a number of other Republican lawmakers. “I know Thune is going to work on something after the CRA fails,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). Meanwhile Sen Markey said he’s seeking support for the CRA on both sides of the aisle. “Our goal is to try to make it bipartisan. We can't win without that," he said. "We need 51 and we're knocking on that door, but we don't have it yet."