President-elect Donald Trump directed congressional Republicans on Wednesday to block a widely popular bill protecting press freedom, likely ending any chance of the legislation being approved by the U.S. Senate.
The measure would limit surveillance of journalists by federal law enforcement and the government’s ability to force journalists to disclose sources, and codify regulations that the Justice Department issued under President Joe Biden.
The House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the bill last year and passed it by voice vote in the House in January.
“REPUBLICANS MUST FINISH THIS LAW!” Trump wrote on his social media page: truth socialin all caps on Wednesday, with a link to a PBS segment about the measure.
In the Senate, significant speaking time is generally required to bypass the process that allows a single member to stall the chamber’s business. With Democrats prioritizing confirmation of Biden’s judicial nominee before they lose their majority in January, it is unlikely they would vote on the measure without the unanimous approval of all 100 senators.
Trump’s influence within the Senate Republican Conference makes it extremely unlikely that there will be unanimous approval.
The bill’s sponsor in the House, California Republican Kevin Kiley, accepted the bill’s rejection in a statement on Thursday.
“Based on the feedback we have received from senators and President Trump, it is clear that we still have work to do to reach consensus on this issue,” he said. “I look forward to working with the new administration on many areas of shared issues as we begin a new era of American prosperity.”
A Kiley spokesman declined to provide further details on senators’ feedback on the measure. A spokesman for U.S. Senate Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina did not respond to a message seeking comment.
There are 19 members of both parties in the House of Representatives, including Republicans Barry Moore of Alabama, Darrell Issa of California, Russell Fry of South Carolina and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, as well as Democrats Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Ted Lieu of California, Rashida Tlaib and Dan Kildee from Michigan signed as co-sponsors.
Protection for local journalists
Jon Schleuss, president of The NewsGuild-CWA, a national journalists union that supported the bill, noted in a statement on Thursday It would protect news sources across the political spectrum.
“Americans would not know about the corruption of former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez or former Republican Rep. George Santos without the hard work of local journalists holding power to account,” he said. “We all depend on journalism, especially local journalism, to shed light and protect Americans from threats at home and abroad.” The PRESS Act protects all voices: news sources, whistleblowers and the journalists of all media areas they speak to.”
In a statement to States Newsroom on Thursday, Gabe Rottman, policy director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called the bill a “sensible and sensible measure” that enjoyed broad bipartisan support.
“Its passage would end actions taken by the Justice Department under previous administrations of both parties to target reporters’ confidential communications when investigating and prosecuting disclosures of government information,” he wrote. “We call on Congress to recognize that there is still a need for legislative relief here.”
Press advocacy groups have expressed concern about Trump’s return to the White House, pointing to a record in his first term that included surveillance and legal threats against journalists and news organizations.
Looking for retribution
In the final days of the presidential campaign, Trump fantasizing out noisy about the shooting of reporters.
Press freedom groups also worry that Trump’s promises to exploit federal bureaucracy to retaliate against perceived enemies would extend to journalists.
“In his second term, Trump will make good on these anti-press threats and seek to destroy any news outlet, journalist or whistleblower who criticizes or opposes him,” Seth Stern, advocacy director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, wrote a a blog post from November 6th.
Stern added that Trump would “almost certainly” repeal surveillance protections that the Justice Department put in place during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Last updated at 5:08 p.m., November 21, 2024
