I'm writing to ask you to co-sponsor the JAWBONE Act (S. 4749), the bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Cruz and Wyden that would stop federal officials from pressuring broadcasters, online platforms, and AI companies into censoring lawful speech — and give those who are coerced a real way to fight back in court.
"Jawboning" happens when a government official can't legally censor speech themselves, so they lean on a private company to do it for them — sometimes with implied threats to licenses, investigations, or regulation. It's hard to detect, hard to prove, and it lets the government launder censorship through companies. The JAWBONE Act addresses this by creating a federal cause of action against agencies or employees who engage in coercive pressure, whether or not the censorship actually succeeds, and by requiring agencies to report their communications with these companies to Congress.
What's remarkable about this bill is the coalition behind it. The ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation endorsed it, along with the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia, which noted that the bill targets coercive pressure specifically while preserving the government's ability to communicate, enforce the law, and respond to emergencies. So did Americans for Tax Reform and Advancing American Freedom. Organizations like these rarely sign onto the same piece of legislation — they occupy different political worlds and disagree on issues ranging from copyright to platform governance. That such a broad range of groups supports the JAWBONE Act suggests the principle at stake transcends partisan politics.
And that's exactly the point. The First Amendment shouldn't depend on which party holds the White House. The JAWBONE Act builds safeguards that outlast any administration. That's worth protecting, and your co-sponsorship would signal that your constituents' speech rights matter more than partisan advantage.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I'd welcome a reply explaining your position on the bill.
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