The US House of Representatives, controlled by the GOP, has passed the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act, which seeks to prohibit federal bureaucrats from using their influence to censor speech or pressure social media companies to censor speech. The bill passed on a 219-206 vote, breaking along party lines, and is unlikely to advance in the Democratic-controlled US Senate.
The legislation was introduced by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Eastern Washington, along with fellow Republicans James Comer and Jim Jordan. McMorris Rodgers accused President Joe Biden and his administration of becoming the “party of censorship,” stating, “They’re actively silencing American voices to control the narrative to benefit their political agenda—we have the receipts.”
The bill comes in the wake of House Republicans sending a notice to the FBI asking for records on the agency’s efforts to influence social media sites to censor content, including the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden, the president’s son. The Twitter Files, released to selected journalists by Twitter owner Elon Musk, had documents showing the FBI’s involvement with Twitter.
The House Judiciary Committee noted a nearly $3.5 million payment by the FBI to Twitter “for time spent processing law enforcement requests around the 2020 election,” in a December media release. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan stated, “These revelations sadly reinforce our deep concerns about the FBI’s misconduct and its hostility to the First Amendment.”
While the bill is unlikely to pass in the Senate, passing the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act in the House shows the GOP’s commitment to protecting Americans’ First Amendment rights.
