[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3685-H3686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH IS A CORNERSTONE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

  (Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, since the Bill of Rights was 
ratified in 1791, the right to free speech has been the cornerstone of 
American democracy.
  Sadly, we have seen deliberate and malicious attempts by President 
Biden

[[Page H3686]]

and his administration to censor and silence this unalienable right.
  Under the guise of public health, the Biden administration has 
attempted to use the Oval Office as a bully pulpit to punish those who 
share beliefs that the President disagrees with and news that he 
doesn't like.
  The Federal Government should never punish Americans for using First 
Amendment rights, and the decision by a U.S. district judge to limit 
the Biden administration's contact with social media companies is a 
positive first step toward correcting these wrongs.
  My constituents who have been censored deserve accountability, and it 
is time for the Biden administration to fully admit to the actions that 
were taken to stifle free speech.

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