Press Releases

President Trump Praises Sen. Hawley’s “Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act”

Senator Hawley said, “And that’s why we need to step up now, and I think we need to say to them, here’s the deal – Google, Facebook Twitter, they’ve gotten these special deals from government. They’ve gotten a special giveaway from government. They’re treated unlike anybody else. If they want to keep their special deal, here’s the bargain: they have to quit discriminating against conservatives. You agree with that? No more. No more discrimination. It’s that simple. That’s all were asking for.”

read more

Senator Hawley Calls Out YouTube for Refusing to Stop Recommending Videos of Children to Pedophiles

Today in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing called Protecting Innocence in a Digital World, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called out YouTube for prioritizing ad revenue over children’s safety. Senator Hawley discussed the legislation he introduced to ban video-hosting websites like YouTube from automatically recommending videos of children. Hawley’s legislation followed The New York Times reporting that YouTube’s algorithm automatically curates home videos of children for pedophiles. “This report was sickening, but I think what was even more sickening was YouTube’s refusal to do anything about it,” Senator Hawley said. “YouTube admitted that they could do something about it, they could stop auto-referring these videos of minors to pedophiles, but they chose not to do so. Why not? Because...

read more

Hawley, Blunt Amendment Designating Silver Star Service Banner Day Passes Senate

Today, U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Roy Blunt (Mo.) commended Senate passage of their legislation permanently designating May 1 as Silver Star Service Banner Day. The measure honors our nation’s wounded and ill service members and veterans, and their families. The amendment was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate yesterday. “What truly makes America great are the brave men, women and their families who answered the call to serve and allow us to enjoy the freedoms we have today,” said Hawley. “While we can never thank them enough, we can celebrate their selflessness and permanently honor those wounded and ill service members and veterans across the country every May 1st for Silver Star Service Banner Day.” “There are thousands of...

read more

Sen. Hawley on Crisis at the Border: The Behavior of this Congress is Pathetic

One day after a photo was published of an El Salvadoran father who drowned to death with his 23-month-old daughter, Senator Hawley called Congress’ inaction on the crisis at the border “pathetic” and a “complete dereliction of duty.” Senator Hawley made the comments at a hearing on border security in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

read more

Senators Warner and Hawley Introduce Bill to Force Social Media Companies to Disclose How They Are Monetizing User Data

“When a big tech company says its product is free, consumers are the ones being sold. These ‘free’ products track everything we do so tech companies can sell our information to the highest bidder and use it to target us with creepy ads,” said Sen. Hawley. “Even worse, tech companies do their best to hide how much consumer data is worth and to whom it is sold. This bipartisan legislation gives consumers control of their data and will show them how much these ‘free’ services actually cost.”

read more

Senators Hawley and Blunt Introduce Resolution to Congratulate St. Louis Blues on Stanley Cup Championship

“We all witnessed history as the Blues fought their way back from the bottom of the pack to become Stanley Cup Champions, with the city of St. Louis and the entire state rallying behind them every step of the way,” Senator Hawley said.“Congratulations to the Blues on this incredible, hard-fought victory. Our team and fans have truly earned this Cup.”

read more

Senator Hawley Introduces Legislation to Amend Section 230 Immunity for Big Tech Companies

Sen. Hawley’s legislation removes the immunity big tech companies receive under Section 230 unless they submit to an external audit that proves by clear and convincing evidence that their algorithms and content-removal practices are politically neutral. Sen. Hawley’s legislation does not apply to small and medium-sized tech companies. “With Section 230, tech companies get a sweetheart deal that no other industry enjoys: complete exemption from traditional publisher liability in exchange for providing a forum free of political censorship,” said Sen. Hawley. “Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, big tech has failed to hold up its end of the bargain.

read more

Senator Hawley Takes Steps to Stop Foreign Theft of Sensitive American Research with New Bill, NDAA Amendment

Today Senator Josh Hawley introduced the Protect Our Universities Act of 2019 to safeguard sensitive, national security-related academic research from Chinese, Russian, and Iranian intelligence services. The text will also be submitted as a Senate amendment to the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is currently going through markups in the House and Senate.

read more