[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 748 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 748
Condemning attempts to use Federal regulatory power or litigation to
suppress lawful speech, particularly speech critical of a political
party or the President of the United States, and warning against the
rise of authoritarianism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 19, 2025
Ms. Ansari (for herself, Ms. Adams, Mr. Amo, Ms. Balint, Ms. Barragan,
Mr. Bell, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Bishop, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Boyle of
Pennsylvania, Ms. Brown, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Carson, Mr. Casar, Mr.
Cisneros, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Courtney,
Ms. Craig, Mr. Crow, Ms. DeGette, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms.
Dexter, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Elfreth, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Evans of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Figures, Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Friedman,
Mr. Frost, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Garcia of California, Mr. Goldman of New
York, Mr. Green of Texas, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Hernandez, Mr. Himes, Ms.
Hoyle of Oregon, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms.
Jacobs, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms.
Kamlager-Dove, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Krishnamoorthi,
Mr. Landsman, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Latimer, Ms. Lee of
Pennsylvania, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Liccardo, Mr. Lynch, Mr.
Magaziner, Mrs. McBath, Ms. McBride, Mrs. McClain Delaney, Ms.
McCollum, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Meng, Mr. Mfume, Mr. Min, Mr.
Morelle, Ms. Morrison, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Norton, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr.
Olszewski, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Pettersen, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Pocan, Ms.
Randall, Ms. Rivas, Ms. Ross, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Scanlon, Ms.
Schakowsky, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Simon, Mr. Soto, Ms. Stansbury,
Mr. Stanton, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms.
Titus, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. Torres of California,
Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Tran, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Waters, Mrs.
Watson Coleman, Mr. Whitesides, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Crockett,
Mr. Gomez, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Omar, Mrs. Sykes, and Mr.
McGarvey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy
and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning attempts to use Federal regulatory power or litigation to
suppress lawful speech, particularly speech critical of a political
party or the President of the United States, and warning against the
rise of authoritarianism.
Whereas freedom of speech and freedom of the press are foundational principles
of the United States, enshrined in the First Amendment to the
Constitution and by the Founders of this country;
Whereas independent journalists, commentators, comedians, and media outlets have
historically played a vital role in holding those in power accountable,
regardless of political party;
Whereas the use of indirect or direct government power to silence criticism of a
political party or the President of the United States undermines
democratic norms and chills public discourse;
Whereas authoritarians and authoritarian regimes throughout history have sought
to control or co-opt media, silence dissent, and weaponize regulatory
agencies to punish critics, eroding civil liberties and undermining
democracy from within;
Whereas efforts to pressure the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), or to
bring politically motivated lawsuits, as tools to threaten or punish
media figures for their criticism of elected officials or satire mirror
tactics used by authoritarian governments to intimidate and silence
critics;
Whereas the Trump Administration and President Donald John Trump have issued
public calls to use the awesome power of the Federal Government to
investigate, fine, or otherwise penalize media figures and networks
critical of the President, silencing free speech and echoing
authoritarian tactics;
Whereas late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel, who has been an outspoken
critic of the Trump Administration, was taken off the air indefinitely
following FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatening coercive government action
against the Walt Disney Company and American Broadcasting Companies,
Inc. (ABC) for Kimmel's remarks;
Whereas major law firms have reportedly been enlisted to file or threaten
lawsuits against networks or personalities whose programming is critical
of former President Trump, further chilling free expression;
Whereas the firing or forced removal of media personalities under political
pressure can have a chilling effect on dissent and signal a dangerous
slide toward authoritarian practices rather than democratic
accountability; and
Whereas maintaining a free and open press is essential to a healthy democracy
and to public accountability, and the erosion of this freedom has
historically been a precursor to the rise of authoritarianism and the
decline of democratic institutions: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the use of regulatory agencies, including the
Federal Communications Commission, and the threat or filing of
lawsuits as tools to suppress, intimidate, or punish lawful
speech critical of any political party or the President of the
United States;
(2) warns that such practices echo the tactics of
authoritarian regimes and pose a serious threat to the
democratic traditions and constitutional freedoms of the United
States;
(3) reaffirms its commitment to upholding the First
Amendment and protecting the freedom of the press and freedom
of expression for all individuals, regardless of political
viewpoint;
(4) calls upon all public officials, regardless of party
affiliation, to refrain from using their positions of power to
pressure media organizations or individuals into censoring or
silencing speech protected by the Constitution;
(5) urges the Department of Justice, the Federal
Communications Commission, and other relevant agencies to
ensure that their policies and practices safeguard free
expression and do not become tools of political retribution;
and
(6) affirms that a vibrant, independent media and the
ability of Americans to criticize their government are
indispensable to the preservation of democratic governance and
to preventing the rise of authoritarianism.
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