Torres Swings Back as Trump Attacks Free Speech on Social Media
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today announced that legislation she authored to halt President Trump's executive order (E.O. 3925) targeting free speech on social media platforms is included in the FY21 appropriations bill covering the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Both agencies are critical to implementing E.O. 3925. Torres' provision would block the agencies from using any funds to carry out the executive order.
First announced on May 27th – less than twenty-four hours after Twitter labeled two of President Trump's tweets as "potentially misleading" – and signed just two days later, E.O. 3925 would direct various federal agencies to reinterpret a key federal statute that fosters free speech on the Internet.
Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, online platforms are shielded from lawsuits over the content their users post, which in turn protects their users' free speech. E.O. 3925 would revoke that immunity, holding platforms liable for user-generated content and encroaching on the ability for every American to post freely online. The Trump administration is pushing for these changes despite the fact that only Congress has the authority to make them.
Rep. Torres, who sits on the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Subcommittee with jurisdiction over both the FCC and the FTC, released the following statement:
"President Trump is so obsessed with payback for his false tweets being labeled for what they were – false – that he is trampling our separation of powers to carry out a vendetta," Rep. Torres said. "I'm glad my fellow appropriators see the same urgency to push back that I saw when I introduced legislation blocking this executive order. The only appropriate action that respects our Constitution, shields our online platforms from undue influence, and protects the American people is to defund E.O. 3925."
###