[Senate Republicans Block Bipartisan Bill to Protect Journalists
Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to pass a bipartisan bill that would give journalists greater protections under federal law, a move that comes in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump opposing the measure. Trump called on Republicans to “kill this bill” in a Truth Social post last month.
The Protect Reporters from Exploitable State Spying Act, known as the PRESS Act, would prevent the government from forcing journalists to reveal their sources and limit the seizure of their data without their knowledge. The bill passed the GOP-controlled House earlier this year, but its failure to pass on Tuesday comes as time is fast-running out before the Democratic president leaves office.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has prioritized confirming judges during the lame-duck session, and government funding and a must-pass defense policy bill will also take up valuable floor time before lawmakers leave town for the winter holiday break. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon went to the Senate floor and asked for unanimous consent to pass the bill, but GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas objected, blocking the attempt.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation called on the Senate to cut the holiday break short if necessary to try to pass the bill, saying “Speeches aren’t enough. The senate has had all year to pass this bipartisan bill.” Schumer spoke in support of the bill, calling the provisions “common sense” and “more important now than ever before when we’ve heard so many in the incoming administration talk about going after the press one way or another.”
Cotton argued that the bill is a threat to US national security and said its passage would turn the Senate “into the active accomplice of deep-state leakers, traitors and criminals, along with the America-hating and fame-hungry journalists who help them out.” The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press used the release of a Justice Department’s inspector general report into leak investigations during Trump’s first term to argue for passage of the act, saying “This investigation highlights the need for a reasonable, common-sense law to protect reporters and their sources. It’s time for Congress to pass the PRESS Act, which has overwhelming bipartisan support, to prevent government interference with the free flow of information to the public.”
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