Rep. Chris Pappas (D., N.H.) is facing scrutiny around one of his core campaign promises as he changed his position on a provision in a transportation bill earlier this year. In June, Pappas posted on X that “corporate special interests have the power to drown out voters.” However, in a key vote on transportation legislation, he voted on a provision that was advocated for by his husband’s employer, Uber. 

The BUILD America 250 Act intends to address the aging transportation infrastructure in the U.S., but it drew criticism for including an amendment to shield rideshare companies from liability when their drivers harm passengers.

Pappas, who is currently running for Senate in New Hampshire, is married to Vann Bentley, a policy manager for cybersecurity and privacy at Uber. Additionally, the couple holds between $150,000 and $350,000 worth of Uber stock, according to Pappas’s own financial disclosures.

During the markup for the Build America 250 Act in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Pappas initially voted against the amendment. Then, he flipped and voted with the 62-2 majority to move the bill, with the amendment attached, out of committee, siding with the provision legislation that Uber has lobbied for. 

A month later, Pappas flipped again, signing a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) from the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) calling for the amendment to be removed from the bill as it “inserted language that puts users of rideshare apps, in particular women, in danger.”

The provision would categorize rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft as digital transportation networks, rather than as common carriers, making drivers — not companies — responsible when they sexually assault or otherwise harm passengers. Additionally, the amendment would make it more difficult for victims to hold rideshare companies accountable for alleged failures to screen drivers, respond to complaints, or implement adequate safety protections.

In 2023, an Uber driver allegedly sexually assaulted a woman from Nashua, N.H. The driver was charged with indecent assault and battery, and distribution of obscene material, and the woman filed a lawsuit against Uber over the assault.

An Uber representative told the Washington Reporter that Bentley did not have any role in the BUILD Act or its amendment, “including any lobbying, policy analysis, advocacy, or communications,” and that Uber did not communicate with Pappas about the legislation.

A New York Times report found that Uber received a report of sexual harassment approximately every eight minutes between 2017 and 2022, with a total of 400,181 Uber trips reporting sexual misconduct in that time frame. 

Other congressmen have called for the removal of the provision, with a group of 25 lawmakers sending a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) to “ensure Americans retain their right to seek a remedy in court if a rideshare company fails to protect its customers or drivers.”

“No corporation should be immune from accountability. Yet this is exactly what Uber and other ride share companies are trying to do,” the lawmakers wrote.

Pappas’s office did not respond to a request for comment.