President-elect Donald Trump ordered congressional Republicans on Wednesday to block a widely popular bill to protect press freedom, likely ending any chance of the US Senate passing the legislation.

The measure would limit federal law enforcement surveillance of journalists and the government’s ability to compel disclosure of journalists’ sources, codifying rules the Justice Department has put in place under President Joe Biden.

The House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved it last year, and it passed the chamber by voice vote in January.

“REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Socialin all caps on Wednesday, linking to a PBS segment on the measure.

Substantial floor time is generally required in the Senate to bypass the process that allows a single member to hold up the chamber’s business. With Democrats prioritizing confirmation of Biden’s judicial nominees before losing their majority in January, they are unlikely to vote on the measure without unanimous consent from all 100 senators.

Trump’s influence within the Republican Senate conference makes unanimous consent extremely unlikely.

The bill’s House sponsor, California Republican Kevin Kiley, accepted the bill’s defeat in a statement Thursday.

“Based on the feedback we’ve received from the senators and President Trump, it’s clear that we have work to do to achieve consensus on this issue,” he said. “I look forward to working with the new administration on many areas of common ground as we begin a new era of American prosperity.”

A spokesperson for Kiley declined to provide additional information about the senators’ feedback on the measure. A spokesman for the U.S. Senate Judiciary, ranking Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

In the House, 19 members from both parties, including Republicans Barry Moore of Alabama, Darrell Issa of California, Russell Fry of South Carolina and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Democrats Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Ted Lieu of California and Rashida Tlaib and Dan Kildee of Michigan, signed on as cosponsors.

Protection for local journalists

Jon Schleuss, president of The NewsGuild-CWA, a national journalists’ union that has supported the bill, noted in a Thursday statement it would protect news sources across the political spectrum.

“Americans wouldn’t know about the corruption of former Democratic Senator Bob Menendez or former Republican Representative George Santos without the hard work of local journalists who hold power accountable,” he said. “All of us depend on journalism, especially local journalism, to shine a light and protect Americans from threats, both foreign and domestic. The PRESS Act protects all voices: news sources, whistleblowers and journalists they speak to from media outlets across the spectrum.”

In a statement Thursday to States Newsroom, Gabe Rottman, director of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called the bill a “reasonable and common sense measure” that enjoyed broad bipartisan support.

“Its passage would put an end to actions the Justice Department has taken under previous administrations of both parties to target reporters’ confidential communications when investigating and prosecuting disclosures of government information,” he wrote. “We urge Congress to recognize that there is still a need for legislative action here.”

Press advocacy groups have expressed concern over Trump’s return to the White House, citing a record during his first term that included surveillance of and legal threats against journalists and news organizations.

Seeking retribution

In the closing days of the presidential election, Trump fantasized out loud about reporters who were shot.

Press freedom groups also worry that Trump’s promises to use the federal bureaucracy to seek retaliation against perceived enemies would extend to journalists.

“In his second term, Trump will make good on these anti-press threats to try to destroy any news outlet, journalist or whistleblower who criticizes or opposes him,” said Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation. wrote in a blog post on November 6.

Stern added that Trump would “almost certainly repeal” the protections against surveillance that the Justice Department had put in place during President Joe Biden’s term.

Last updated 17:08, 21 November 2024