Andy Harris Talks Inflation, Russians, Section 230 and Freedom with the Spy

Maryland First District Congressman Andy Harris

In a recent interview at his office two blocks from the capitol in Washington D.C., Congressman Andy Harris touched on a wide variety of topics ranging from Russian activity in Ukraine and Queen Anne’s County to the threat of blue catfish proliferation in Chesapeake Bay.

As elected representative for Maryland’s First Congressional District, which includes all of the Eastern Shore, Harris serves as the first level of access to the federal government for his constituents.

Here’s an abbreviated take on some of his viewpoints. Then more extensive detail on his support for the repeal of a federal law protecting interactive internet providers from liability for information posted on their sites by third parties.

As for the blue catfish problem, that will be the subject of a subsequent column.

• Regarding his recent no vote on US aid to Ukraine, Israel and other foreign entities: “I fully support Ukraine and its military efforts against the Russian invasion. We develop great weaponry. It’s what we do best.  That’s what the bill should have been about, but it went way beyond military aid with billions and billions for humanitarian aspects there and in many other parts of the world. Every penny of that has to be borrowed. I could not vote in favor of a foreign aid package that contained non-military assistance for Ukraine and money for Gaza that could easily be stolen by Hamas—a radical, terrorist organization. Let Europe handle the humanitarian aspects.  Right now we’re borrowing at the rate of $3 trillion per year. The current US debt load is more than $34 trillion and our Gross Domestic Product is around $25 trillion so our debt load is more than our GDP. That’s unsustainable. Our budget deficit and debt are this nation’s biggest problem but there’s no political will to address it. It has to be tackled at the presidential level.  My hope is that whether Biden or Trump are elected in November, that lame duck president will use the opportunity to tackle the issue.”

• Regarding the Russian embassy retreat property at the Corsica and Chester rivers junction in Queen Anne’s County:  The property and its extensive improvements – owned by the Russian government – have been vacant since late 2016 when the Obama administration evicted the Russians citing election interference and espionage activity.  Responding to a request from this constituent, Harris said his staff is working on getting a response from the US Department of State regarding current status of that property.  “An investigation found no election interference by the Russians in the 2016 election so that should no longer be a reason for keeping the Russians off the property,” said Harris. “But if there is a security issue related to espionage or something else, that argument certainly can be made. Of course the Russians have an embassy in Washington D.C. so they don’t need to go to the Eastern Shore for espionage.”

• Top three issues he’s hearing about from constituents: “First and definitely inflation.  That’s at the macro level, across this district and the nation. The cost of everything from gas to groceries and everything else. Second would be crime, particularly in the more urban areas.  And third, particularly in the more northern counties of the district, development.  But people recognize that as more of a local, land-use issue.” In addition to all nine Eastern Shore counties, the First District includes Harford County and parts of Baltimore County.

• The roots of his political leanings: “I’m the son of immigrant parents from European countries that eventually became Communist. Places where freedoms and liberties were lost and are still gone.  I want to see our liberties and freedoms preserved. Too often they’re taken for granted.”

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows

“Section 230 is a section of Title 47 of the United States Code that was enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 . . and generally provides immunity for online computer services with respect to third-party content generated by its users.” – Wikipedia.

As mentioned in the above quotation, federal law dictates that interactive internet sites managed by hundreds of companies great and small cannot currently be held liable for items – true, false or otherwise – posted on their sites by real or fake third parties.

“The companies claim they are not publishers but simply billboards where people can post whatever they want. But we know these companies are monitoring and limiting access to these digital billboards and as such are acting as publishers.  They’re making editorial and publishing decisions and they should be subject to the same liability that every other publisher is liable to,” said Harris. “They shouldn’t be hiding behind the cloak of Section 230. Just as newspapers are responsible, they should be responsible too. I support removing Section 230 altogether or at least carefully specifying that you really can’t interfere with what’s being posted on your sites if you want to be exempted from the liability that publishers would normally be subjected to.”

This old advertising message, just a few blocks from the Capitol and offices for the federal House of Representatives, offers its own subtle form of lobbying. Dennis Forney photo.

Harris said companies such as Google – now called Alphabet – and other providers are spending millions and millions of dollars on Capitol Hill to fight efforts to sunset Section 230. “It’s astounding what they’re spending. They know the implication of removing Section 230.  It will cost them . . . they will have to stop limiting access or be subject to huge liability issues.  For them this is an economic argument: ‘We’re going to spend tens of millions of dollars lobbying Capitol Hill to save billions of dollars in legal liability.’”

Harris provided what he termed an insider’s viewpoint. “This is one of those instances that truly lives out the saying that politics makes for strange bedfellows.  You have very progressive Democrats combining with very conservative Republicans saying we have to eliminate Section 230 protections.  It’s taking longer but in the end I think we will be limiting those protections.  It will be arduous.”

Representatives Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Cathy McMorris Rogers, a Republican from Washington, are currently among the leaders of the effort.

Harris, a conservative Republican, said he personally isn’t feeling the lobbying pressure. “I think they know where I stand on this. This isn’t fertile territory for them.”

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972. He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.