[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 77 (Thursday, May 8, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   A FREE PRESS IS VITAL TO DEMOCRACY

  (Ms. STANSBURY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. STANSBURY. Madam Speaker, in Donald Trump's America, not even 
Elmo is safe because over the last 100 days, we have seen an 
unprecedented attack on the media, and especially our public media.
  Let me say this: The freedom of the press and freedom of speech are 
not a privilege. They are enshrined in the United States Constitution, 
vital to our democracy and to accountability.
  However, we have seen attack after attack, threats on the media and 
communications companies, outlets replaced in the Pentagon, an order 
attacking PBS and NPR just this very week, and an attempt to throw the 
AP out of the White House for daring to tell the truth.
  These attacks are not just an outrage, they are an attack on our 
freedom, our democracy, and our rights as Americans, which is why I 
rise today to stand for and fight for a free and fair press, because it 
is vital to our democracy.

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