WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, along with Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, today sent a letter urging President Joseph Biden to work with Congress to enact a nationwide consumer privacy and data security law this year.  

In July 2021, Wicker, Blackburn, Rodgers, and Bilirakis sent a letter urging President Biden to prioritize comprehensive data privacy legislation as part of the Administration’s agenda and have not received a response. Wicker and Blackburn also introduced the Setting an American Framework to Ensure Data Access, Transparency, and Accountability (SAFE DATA) Act. The legislation would provide Americans with more choice and control over their data and direct businesses to be more transparent and accountable for their data practices. The bill would also enhance the Federal Trade Commission’s authority and provide additional resources to enforce the Act.

Click here or read the full letter below.

Dear President Biden, 

We write to renew our call to you to work with Congress to enact a nationwide consumer privacy and data security law this year.  

Since we last wrote six months ago, we have neither received a response from you nor seen meaningful activity on the part of the executive branch to protect the data privacy of U.S. consumers. However, we have seen several troubling reports about the myriad ways Americans’ personal information is being misused and abused. Recent disturbing revelations about Big Tech companies exploiting the data and online habits of children and teens show just how urgent it is for Congress to act to protect the data privacy of our youth and the broader public. 

Today’s international commemoration of Data Privacy Day marks an opportunity to commit to doing what more than 100 countries have already done: establish a baseline privacy law in the United States. 

This is a national imperative for maintaining a strong and secure digital economy. We hope you will join us in this effort to give Americans more control over their personal information, provide meaningful safeguards over their data, and restore trust in the safety and security of our online ecosystem.

                                                            Sincerely,