Tech: DC’s biggest loser?

Silicon Valley just can’t win in Washington.

A surveillance reform bill easily survived a House vote, but it barely resembles the measure that Google, Facebook and others once touted as a way to restore Americans’ trust. Quick changes to patent law now seem impossible after the Senate shelved the issue days earlier. And immigration reform and the industry’s pursuit of more high-skilled visas long ago had devolved into a war of words between congressional Democrats and Republicans. As tech companies join the ranks of other big Beltway business interests -- tapping power lobbyists, recruiting hired guns and cozying up to lawmakers with more donations than ever before -- the setbacks only serve as a reminder that even major players still lose the Washington game sometimes.