1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

As a constituent, I'm alarmed by the White House's decision to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from access and disable their reporters' badges, after the president said he objected to their coverage. Punishing outlets for reporting the administration dislikes is the kind of government retaliation the First Amendment exists to prevent. The three outlets have said they will sue. Whether you like their coverage or not, a free press can't do its job if the people it covers get to decide who is allowed in the room. If this stands, it invites every future administration, of either party, to reward friendly outlets and punish critical ones. I'm asking you to: 1 Publicly condemn the exclusion of these outlets and call on the White House to restore their credentials. 2 Support congressional oversight of how press access is being decided. 3 Back legislation or other action that protects press access from viewpoint-based retaliation. Please let me know where you stand on this. Thank you.