Edwards on House floor: Protect Free Speech

Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) today delivered the following remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.R. 140, the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act.

This legislation would protect the constitutional right to the freedom of speech by prohibiting federal employees from using their official positions to censor Americans’ lawful speech.

The House is expected to vote on this legislation tomorrow.

The remarks as prepared are below, or you may watch online here.

“I rise today in strong support of H.R. 140, the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act.

“In a recent hearing held by the Oversight and Accountability Committee with former executives from Twitter, a clear and disturbing pattern emerged – a coordinated effort between a privately owned social media giant and the federal government to suppress critical reporting ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

“The federal government and its legions of unelected bureaucrats must not be the final decisionmaker of what information Americans can and cannot read.

“The onus is on Congress to provide a way to effectively prevent federal bureaucrats from suppressing lawful speech – H.R. 140 would do just that. For almost 100 years, the Hatch Act has served as an important barrier against taxpayer-funded employees participating in political activities while on official time, and adding suppression of free speech to its list of prohibited activities is simply common sense.

“To close, I urge strong support for this legislation, and I am encouraged by Chairman Comer’s commitment to thoroughly investigate the ever-increasing encroachment by Big Tech companies into the privacy and First Amendment rights of millions of Americans.”