Committee Democrats Vote Against Extreme Republican Bills That Threaten First Amendment Rights and American Democracy

Washington, D.C. (March 1, 2023)—Yesterday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, led Committee Democrats in holding Republicans accountable for legislation that would weaken American democracy, protect Russian and Chinese propaganda efforts, and threaten the rights of U.S. citizens.

"Legislation should address real problems. The original flaw of this legislation is that it is based on the entirely false premise that government officials pressured or coerced Twitter to suppress the New York Post's story about Hunter Biden's laptop for all of 24 hours. At our last hearing, none of the three witnesses called by the GOP Majority supported that theory in any way. In fact, the hearing ended with the conclusion on February 8th that there was no governmental pressure or coercion involved in the private company's fleeting, independent decision to moderate access to the Hunter Biden laptop story," said Ranking Member Raskin in his statement on H.R. 140, the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act.

"We continue to oppose this very strange attack on free speech, good government, and the privacy and security of dedicated federal employees," the Ranking Member continued in his statement on H.R. 1162, the Accountability for Government Censorship Act.

H.R. 140, the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act

Committee Republicans' bill protects the spread of Russian and Chinese propaganda and will have a chilling effect on law enforcement, hindering our ability to secure democratic freedoms. Rather than address the real threats to our democracy posed by foreign mis- and dis-information, the Republican bill caters to debunked conspiracy theories promoted by MAGA extremists.

To defend democracy and the First Amendment, Oversight Democrats introduced a series of amendments, which Republicans voted against in favor of empowering authoritarian governments and weakening the constitutional rights of Americans.

• Ranking Member Raskin introduced an amendment to expand the scope of the bill beyond its limited focus on social media platforms and address Republican efforts to influence television networks.

• Rep. Stephen Lynch proposed an amendment to prevent the bill from jeopardizing federal employees' ability to act quickly and effectively on national security matters, but Republicans voted instead to handcuff the country's defense against adversaries like Russia and China.

• Rep. Becca Balint offered an amendment that would protect the ability of federal employees to enforce nondiscrimination laws and crack down on incitements to violence, but Republicans voted to reduce accountability and safeguards against harassment and violence.

• Rep. Katie Porter provided an amendment to allow public servants to share essential public health and consumer protection information, which Republicans voted down in favor of disinformation that continues to threaten the welfare of the American people.

• Rep. Jared Moskowitz proposed an amendment that would help law enforcement prevent violence incited by neo-Nazi groups, but Republicans once again sided with right-wing extremists over the rule of law and basic civil rights.

• Rep. Dan Goldman proposed the Kellyanne Conway Act to prevent government officials from using public resources for political gain, while Committee Republicans chose to support the abuse of tax dollars.

• Ranking Member Raskin proposed an amendment to stop Republicans from coercing private companies into amplifying right-wing propaganda, yet Republicans voted to erode the First Amendment.

H.R. 1162, the Accountability for Government Censorship Act

Committee Republicans advocated for targeting American public servants with blatantly partisan attacks on their free speech, privacy, and livelihood.

Authorization and Oversight Plan of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Committee Democrats outlined their commitment to conducting legitimate, fact-based oversight on real issues affecting the American people and voted in bipartisan fashion to approve the Committee's Oversight Plan after calling out Republican efforts to use the Committee to promote debunked conspiracy theories and launch political attacks.

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