I don't think it has as much to do with the government being populated by luddites as it does with having the government being populated by people who want more

I don't think it has as much to do with the government being populated by luddites as it does with having the government being populated by people who want more power. They're clearly not arguing from the perspective that their solution is the most technologically feasible. They're arguing very clearly that they don't have the power they "need" to do their jobs. It's that simple.