H.Res. 748

[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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