Press Releases
Zuckerberg Fallout: Hawley to Call for Unanimous Consent on Legislation Giving Victims of Exploitation the Right to Sue Big Tech
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced that he will go to the U.S. Senate floor next week and call for unanimous consent on legislation giving victims of sexual exploitation online the right to sue social media platforms. Apologies are nice, but it’s time for Congress to act. Next week I will go to the floor and ask unanimous consent to pass legislation giving victims of exploitation online the right to sue the platforms. We’ve had years of talk. Now is the time to make this law — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 1, 2024 Yesterday in a Senate Judiciary hearing, Senator Hawley pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about child exploitation on his social media platforms. Zuckerberg stood up and apologized to the families of victims of child exploitation in the hearing room,...
Hawley Challenges Zuckerberg to Put His Money Where His Mouth is: Compensate Online Exploitation Victims
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a new letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg today, calling on the billionaire to establish a compensation fund for victims of online exploitation across Meta's platforms. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday, Senator Hawley pressed Zuckerberg about child exploitation on his social media platforms, forcing the Big Tech CEO to apologize his lack of action to protect children online. "According to your company’s own internal metrics, within a 7-day window, 24% of Instagram users between the ages of 13 and 15 receive unwanted sexual advances, 37% encounter nudity, and 17% encounter content on self-harm," wrote Senator Hawley. "You were made aware of these extraordinary statistics...
Hawley Blasts TikTok CEO Over App’s Spying on Americans: “Why should you not be banned in the United States of America?”
Today in a Senate Judiciary hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) challenged TikTok CEO Shou Chew on his app's monitoring of Americans and its harvesting of their personal data, describing the platform as an espionage arm of the Chinese Communist Party. "Every single one of those Americans are in danger from the fact that [TikTok] tracks their keystrokes, [TikTok] tracks their app usage, [TikTok] tracks their location data,"said Senator Hawley. "And we know that all of that information can be accessed by Chinese employees who are subject to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party." He continued, "Your app [...] is subject to the control and inspection of a foreign, hostile government that is actively trying to track the information and whereabouts of every...
Hawley Forces Zuckerberg to Apologize to Families of Child Exploitation Victims in Big Tech Hearing
Today in a Senate Judiciary hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about child exploitation on his social media platforms. Citing horrifying statistics of minors' interactions with sexually explicit material on Meta platforms, Senator Hawley demanded that Zuckerberg answer for his lack of action to protect children online. "Your product is killing people. Will you personally commit to compensating the victims?" asked Senator Hawley. Despite being repeatedly pressed, Zuckerberg would not commit to compensating the families who have suffered at the consequence of his inaction. Then when pressured by Senator Hawley, Zuckerberg stood up and apologized to the families of victims of child exploitation in the hearing room. "Your job is to be...
Hawley Urges Oscars to Recognize American Victims of Nuclear Testing, as “Oppenheimer” Film Reaps Honors
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences urging them to recognize American victims of nuclear testing as they prepare for the 2024 Academy Awards. Senator Hawley's letter comes as the Academy announced the 2023 summer blockbuster "Oppenheimer"—which chronicles the Manhattan Project's nuclear testing—is the leading film, receiving 13 award nominations. "As you continue preparations for the ceremony on March 10, I write to urge you to include programming that recognizes the victims of America’s nuclear testing," wrote Senator Hawley. "The Oppenheimer film tells a compelling story of these test programs. But it does not tell the story of the Americans left behind—still reckoning with...
Hawley, Peters Urge Postal Service to Reopen Post Office Destroyed in Baring, Mo., Tornado & Prioritize Rural Communities’ Infrastructure
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) – a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) – and HSGAC Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) to reopen the Baring, Mo., Post Office. The Senators also requested that the USPS reopen other post offices it has placed under “emergency suspension” due to natural disasters or the need for repairs. Senators Hawley and Peters' letter comes after the USPS claimed that within 90 days it expected to have a timeline for rebuilding the Baring, Mo., Post Office. "The Baring facility closed after receiving severe tornado damage in August 2023, but residents have received no information about when it will be...
Hawley Demands Biden Use Defense Production Act to Save Missouri Aluminum Plant and Union Jobs
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to use the Defense Production Act to prevent the shutdown of Magnitude 7 Metals—an aluminum manufacturer in Marston, Mo., that accounts for nearly 30 percent of the nation’s primary aluminum production. Senator Hawley warned that the closure of Magnitude 7 Metals would deliver a devastating blow to working families in Missouri and undermine U.S. national security. "Magnitude 7 Metals’ 'curtailment' of its aluminum smelter will put more than 500 workers out of a job by Sunday, January 28, 2024," wrote Senator Hawley. The impending shutdown of the smelter will also materially degrade our defense posture, as the Department of Defense has deemed aluminum a strategic...
Hawley Blasts Mayorkas for Record Number of Illegal ‘Gotaways’ Crossing the Border Without CBP Apprehension
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling out his failure to secure the southern border. A new report reveals that in fiscal year 2023 alone, 860,000 illegal immigrants crossed into the United States without encountering a border official. "These 'gotaways' outnumber the combined populations of Kansas City and St. Louis, the two largest cities in Missouri," wrote Senator Hawley. "At the very least, you owe the American people full transparency into what your Department knows about illegal immigrants who have entered our nation without being stopped or tracked." He continued, "It is abundantly clear that the longer you remain in office, the worse the crisis at our...
Hawley Files NetChoice v. Paxton Amicus Brief with Supreme Court to Fight Big Tech’s Censorship Crusade
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Texas' case NetChoice v. Paxton to define Big Tech platforms' role in disseminating users' speech. In his brief, Senator Hawley argues that the Supreme Court must narrow Big Tech's power by defining whether these social media companies are self-conscious editors of content or neutral platforms that simply host users’ posts. He urges the Supreme Court not to permit Big Tech to algorithmically promote virulent, pro-terrorist propaganda while claiming a right to censor conservatives' free speech. Senator Hawley brings this illogical contradiction to light as he argues in favor of Texas’ anti-censorship law. “Big Tech companies want to...
Hawley Introduces New Legislation to End DHS Funding for Liberal Propaganda
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Ending DHS Funding for Liberal Propaganda Act to prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from distributing grant funds to organizations that promote discrimination against conservative viewpoints. Just last week, reporting revealed that DHS paid leftist academics to create propaganda to "counter" conservatives, under the guise of "media literacy." "The Biden Administration has time and again demonstrated its willingness to weaponize its power against conservatives," said Senator Hawley. “My bill simply bars Secretary Mayorkas from funneling taxpayer dollars to programs dedicated to targeting this Administration’s political opponents.” This legislation follows Senator...