Press Releases
Hawley Questions Facebook Whistleblower on Big Tech’s Rampant Child Exploitation Problems
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) heard testimony from Meta Whistleblower Arturo Béjar, the former Director of Engineering for Protect and Care at Facebook. The hearing took place in the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, where Senator Hawley serves as Ranking Member. During his opening remarks, Senator Hawley called out Big Tech for their extensive lobbying efforts to kill any legislation attempting to regulate the industry. "Big tech is the biggest, most powerful lobbying in the United States Congress,"said Senator Hawley. "They spend millions upon millions upon millions of dollars every year to lobby this body, and the the truth is—as every reporter in this room knows, and I hope you'll report it after this...
Hawley Renews Effort to Ban TikTok Following Rise in Pro-Hamas Content
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury and Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) Chairwoman Janet Yellen. He urged her to conclude CFIUS’ review of TikTok and to ban all ByteDance-controlled apps currently available to U.S. users, especially given the increase in anti-Israel, pro-Hamas content on the platform. "TikTok—and its parent company ByteDance—are threats to American national security," wrote Senator Hawley. "While data security issues are paramount, less often discussed is TikTok’s power to radically distort the world-picture that America’s young people encounter. Israel’s unfolding war with Hamas is a crucial test case. According to one poll, 51% of Americans between the ages of 18...
Hawley Urges EPA Clean Up West Lake Landfill Immediately
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned Bruno Pigott, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Senator Hawley called on the EPA to immediately clean up the radioactive contamination at the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site in Bridgeton, Mo. "It’s probably no coincidence that the folks who live in this area are not big-time donors to political parties, they’re not big-time party activists, these are working people and they have been taken advantage of for years. And the government, for years, has just expected them to live with it…,” said Senator Hawley. “This has got to stop, and we need the EPA to clean this site up.” Watch the full exchange here or below. Background Senator...
Hawley Blasts Mayorkas for Pro-Hamas Spokeswoman Still on DHS Payroll
Today in a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and slammed the Biden Administration for their employment of a pro-Hamas adjudication officer. "Mr. Secretary what is going on here? Is this typical of people who work at DHS? This is an Asylum and Immigration Officer who is posting these frankly pro-genocidal slogans and images on the day that Israelis are being slaughtered in their beds," Senator Hawley said. "Has she been fired?" Secretary Mayorkas declined to answer Senator Hawley's question, claiming the individual is on administrative leave and that he will not speak on an internal personnel matter. DHS employee, Newja Ali, has...
Hawley Introduces Bill to Keep Corporate America’s Dollars Out of U.S. Politics
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Ending Corporate Influence on Elections Act to get corporate money out of American politics and dramatically cut back on publicly traded corporations' ability to influence elections. Senator Hawley’s bill will begin to undo the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC. "For decades, Corporate America has funneled billions of dollars into elections in favor of politicians who favor their woke, social agendas—instead of American voters' interests. This legislation would hold mega-corporations' feet to the fire and stop their dollars from buying our elections," said Senator Hawley. The Ending Corporate Influence on Elections Act would: Ban publicly traded corporations from...
Hawley Exposes Whistleblower Claim that Biden DHS Pulled Agents from Child Exploitation Cases to Make Sandwiches at Southern Border
During a second round of questioning at today’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called out Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for taking special investigators off of human trafficking and fentanyl cases and reassigning them to in-person services at the southern border. Senator Hawley referenced a whistleblower who came to him with these allegations, then questioned the Secretary. “You're taking special agents away from investigating child traffickers and child exploitation—when you've lost tens of thousands of kids to traffickers—and you’re sending them to make sandwiches at the border," said Senator Hawley. “What is going on?" Secretary Mayorkas dodged Senator...
Senate Passes Hawley Amendment to Budget Bill Blocking Taxpayer Funds to Chinese Corporations
Today the U.S. Senate voted on U.S. Senator Josh Hawley's (R-Mo.) Amendment (No Funding for Chinese Companies), as part of the upper chamber's minibus appropriations bill. Senator Hawley's amendment would prohibit Chinese entities or corporations from receiving any funding provided by the legislation. The amendment passed 61-36. "The appropriations bills that we are now considering appropriating a total of $280 billion taxpayer dollars. [...] This amendment says that none of the money we are appropriating can go to China. It can't go to Chinese companies or companies that are owned and controlled by China. That's it, it's simple. No American taxpayer dollars to the People's Republic of China," said Senator Hawley. Watch his full remarks here or...
Hawley, Booker Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Child Labor Practices, Hold Corporations Accountable for Violations
Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the bipartisan Preventing Child Labor Exploitation Act to prohibit companies that illegally employ children from securing coveted federal government contracts. Senator Hawley's legislation comes as the Department of Labor recently reported a startling 69 percent increase in illegal child labor since 2018. This dramatic uptick in child-labor exploitation includes a series of high-profile cases involving minors employed in dangerous jobs at sanitation and meatpacking plants. “Child labor is an abomination and it has no place in our country. Companies that illegally employ children must be held accountable—especially those that contract with the federal government. This bipartisan...
Senate Passes Hawley Resolution Condemning Antisemitism on College Campuses
Today the U.S. Senate passed by voice vote U.S. Senator Josh Hawley's resolution condemning Hamas and the antisemitic student groups on college campuses that have celebrated the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel. The passage of the resolution came after Democrats blocked the measure one week ago. "Mr. President, one week ago I came to this floor to try and pass this very resolution that condemns the violent, genocidal, antisemitic rhetoric and actions on our college campuses all across this country," said Senator Hawley. "Sadly, I was blocked by one of my Democrat colleagues. And since then the situation at our universities has only worsened." He continued, "That's why what we're doing today matters and that's why I am pleased today,...
Hawley Op-Ed: Not one taxpayer dime for Gaza until Hamas frees all the hostages
By U.S. Senator Josh Hawley | Oct. 25, 2023 | Fox News Since October 7, the world has learned with mounting horror exactly what Hamas’s terrorists did in Israel. Women and children slaughtered in their homes. Corpses paraded in the streets of Gaza. Screaming civilians dragged away on motorbikes. Now, the Israeli people fight for their lives, under the shadow of existential threat. [...] Last week, Joe Biden unveiled to the American people his latest budget request. Despite what it says, his $106 billion request isn’t really about supporting Israel. Far from it. Rather, this budget request asks Congress to approve billions of dollars in "humanitarian aid"—including some foreign relief funds for Gaza itself. Gaza is ruled by a terrorist regime, currently holding...