GOP fends off Democrat efforts to block curbs on federal censorship of social media users

Just the News ^ | February 28, 2023 | Greg Piper

[Twotone]

House Oversight Committee Republicans rejected a slew of amendments to weaken their legislation against government coercion of tech platforms (HR 140) at a markup Tuesday, warning that Democrats' proposed exceptions were so vague they would gut the bill's speech protections.

The Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act amends the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity by federal employees, to prohibit the use of "official authority" to influence or coerce any "interactive computer service" to remove or suppress "lawful speech," add disclaimers or alerts, or restrict access to users.

Penalties include termination, up to a five-year ban on federal employment and fines that are 10 times steeper for White House staff than for other covered employees. President Biden himself would be spared because the Hatch Act doesn't cover the president or vice president.

The Biden administration worked to "normalize" censorship of "politically inconvenient" accounts, Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said, introducing a "tightly drafted" substitute amendment with three law enforcement exemptions: child pornography, human and drug trafficking, and protection of "properly classified national security information."

Ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) repeatedly described the substitute and its limited exceptions as the "Putin Protection Act."

It would empower Russian disinformation in American elections and protect "election deniers, COVID deniers" and white supremacists while tying the hands of law enforcement, Raskin said. "Democracy on earth is under siege" from foreign dictatorships as well as the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

[butlerweave]

Let social media be the sewer it is

[Vaduz]

Like James Comer’s style he works to get things done he doesn’t fear wizzing on the democrats shoes.

[Honest Nigerian]

I don’t understand the headline.