Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has reportedly decided to let Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai avoid testifying in upcoming hearings after the White House stepped in on their behalf, according to a report by Politico.
Instead of the high-profile leaders, Grassley has agreed to allow lower-profile executives to appear at a hearing set for July 28, as per five sources familiar with the situation. In exchange for this, the White House offered its support for the James T. Woods Act, a legislative package aimed at combating online child exploitation.
Reportedly, YouTube CEO Neil Mohan will represent Google, while Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri will stand in for Zuckerberg. Other executives, including Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and TikTok CEO Adam Presser, are also slated to testify.
The James T. Woods Act seeks to enhance federal measures against online child exploitation by introducing new criminal offenses and speeding up the prosecution and sentencing of offenders. Grassley, along with Democratic Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, introduced this bill in the Senate.
White House officials confirmed their support for the James T. Woods Act but did not clarify whether Trump administration officials played a role in facilitating the arrangements with Grassley. They did, however, mention that it’s quite normal to back bipartisan technology legislation.
A spokesperson for Grassley emphasized that the Chairman aims to push for substantial child safety legislation rather than just generating media attention, which was a concern in previous hearings. The Grassley-Durbin-James T. Woods Act has garnered broad bipartisan support, with recognition for its potential to save children’s lives. Grassley’s commitment to overseeing Big Tech remains strong.
Politico reported that Grassley planned to ask Zuckerberg, Pichai, and the CEOs of TikTok and Snap to testify focusing on children’s online safety, a subject that has seen these social media companies facing lawsuits similar to those targeting tobacco manufacturers.
Additionally, discussions with White House representatives occurred in late May and early June, raising concerns about the negative fallout from the hearings regarding child safety litigation.
Neither Google’s parent companies, Meta nor Alphabet, responded to requests for comments.
The New York Post noted that Zuckerberg had been trying to avoid testifying in several cases related to social media, frustrating many plaintiffs.
Interestingly, Zuckerberg reportedly has developed a friendly rapport with Trump, having visited Mar-a-Lago following the 2024 election and attending Trump’s inauguration in January 2025.
Recent reports suggest that Trump and Zuckerberg exchanged messages after the election, revealing a connection amidst the political landscape.
The situation with Meta escalated recently after settling a $25 million lawsuit with Trump, centered around the suspension of his accounts on Facebook and Instagram shortly after his inauguration.
In another legal matter, YouTube, part of Google, reached a $24.5 million settlement with Trump in September 2025 after banning him from its platform in the aftermath of the January 6 riot. This settlement followed a visit from Pichai and Google co-founder Sergey Brin to Mar-a-Lago.
Both Meta and Google had previously donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, highlighting their financial ties to his administration.
