U.S. Senators Push Bill to Address Chinese Communist Censorship of U.S. Corporate Speech

A group of U.S. senators from both parties will reintroduce a bill as early as Wednesday (Feb. 23) to counter Chinese Communist Party censorship of speech in the United States, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley told Reuters.

FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. Senator John Merkley of Oregon speaks on the floor of the full Senate as it is about to pass the Hong Kong Bill of Rights and Democracy without dissent. (Nov. 19, 2019)

Senator Merkley, who will soon chair the Congressional and Executive Committee on China (CECC), was quoted by Reuters as saying, “We must track and address the impact of the Chinese Communist Party’s speech censorship and intimidation of Americans and our companies so that we can develop a strategy to safeguard this cornerstone of freedom and hold accountable those who suppress and undermine it. “

The bill is co-sponsored by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, Republican Senator John Cornyn, and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. The lawmakers had introduced a similar at-a-glance bill in 2019 but failed to make progress.

The new bill on Chinese Communist Party speech censorship would direct the president to establish an interagency task force under the National Security Council to track and address Chinese Communist Party speech censorship or intimidation of Americans and U.S. companies.

According to a draft seen by Reuters, the bill also calls for a report that would make recommendations for “industries where free speech issues are particularly acute, including the media and film communities.

Meanwhile, Senate Ranking Democrat and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that he has directed lawmakers to develop a legislative package to counter the rise of the Communist Party of China, using the tough bipartisan stance on the Communist Party to strengthen the U.S. technology industry and counter unfair practices.

Schumer said at his weekly press conference that he has directed the relevant committees to draft a bipartisan bill based on a bill he introduced last year that seeks to fund $100 billion to spur research in key technology areas, including artificial intelligence, quantum computers and semiconductors.

Schumer said, “Today on our caucus call, I directed the chairs and members of our relevant committees to begin drafting a legislative package to outcompete the Chinese Communist Party and create new American jobs.”