Cantwell Leads Commerce Committee Democrats in Demanding FCC Chairman Carr Testify

"As the Committee with jurisdiction over the FCC, it is our constitutional duty to conduct oversight over this matter and demand Chairman Carr answer for this unprecedented attack on the First Amendment."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, led Democratic Committee Members Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ben Ray Luján, (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) in a letter to Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) requesting the Chairman call Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr to testify before the Committee following his threats to use the regulatory power of the FCC to compel ABC to fire comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

"On Wednesday, Chairman Carr threatened to use the regulatory power of the FCC against ABC, its parent company Disney, and its network affiliates if ABC did not fire comedian Jimmy Kimmel for his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk," the Senators wrote. "As the Committee with jurisdiction over the FCC, it is our constitutional duty to conduct oversight over this matter and demand Chairman Carr answer for this unprecedented attack on the First Amendment."

The Senators continued: "In a recent appearance on a podcast, Chairman Carr threatened to wield the power of the Commission against ABC and its network affiliates, saying: 'we can do this the easy way or the hard way' and 'this is a very, very serious issue for Disney.' Chairman Carr then specifically spoke to affiliates of ABC-which hold FCC licenses-telling them, 'frankly…it's past time that a lot of these licensed broadcasters themselves push back…It's time for them to step up[.]' Chairman Carr's words had an immediate effect-within hours, Nexstar and Sinclair, the largest affiliate groups in the country, said they would preempt Kimmel's show, and ABC indefinitely suspended the program. Chairman Carr then celebrated the decisions by Nexstar and Sinclair to preempt Kimmel's show as 'the right thing' and 'responsive.'"

"You have long prioritized conducting oversight to ensure our government is not being used to weaponize the censorship of speech. At a time when free speech is under threat, this hearing could not be more important for the American people. We look forward to working with you on this hearing with Chairman Carr and upholding our duty to conduct robust oversight over the FCC." the Senators concluded.

The full text of the letter is below and can be found HERE.

Dear Chairman Cruz:

We formally request that you call Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr to testify at an oversight hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. On Wednesday, Chairman Carr threatened to use the regulatory power of the FCC against ABC, its parent company Disney, and its network affiliates if ABC did not fire comedian Jimmy Kimmel for his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. As the Committee with jurisdiction over the FCC, it is our constitutional duty to conduct oversight over this matter and demand Chairman Carr answer for this unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.

In a recent appearance on a podcast, Chairman Carr threatened to wield the power of the Commission against ABC and its network affiliates, saying: "we can do this the easy way or the hard way" and "this is a very, very serious issue for Disney." Chairman Carr then specifically spoke to affiliates of ABC-which hold FCC licenses-telling them, "frankly . . . it's past time that a lot of these licensed broadcasters themselves push back. . . . It's time for them to step up[.]" Chairman Carr's words had an immediate effect-within hours, Nexstar and Sinclair, the largest affiliate groups in the country, said they would preempt Kimmel's show, and ABC indefinitely suspended the program. Chairman Carr then celebrated the decisions by Nexstar and Sinclair to preempt Kimmel's show as "the right thing" and "responsive."

These bullying tactics are offensive to the First Amendment. As you know, the First Amendment prohibits government retaliation against individuals or groups for expressing their views. You accurately described Chairman Carr's comments as "right out of Goodfellas. That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar, going 'Nice bar you have here. It'd be a shame if something happened to it." As the Supreme Court unanimously reaffirmed last year, "Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors."

You have long prioritized conducting oversight to ensure our government is not being used to weaponize the censorship of speech. At a time when free speech is under threat, this hearing could not be more important for the American people. We look forward to working with you on this hearing with Chairman Carr and upholding our duty to conduct robust oversight over the FCC.

Sincerely,

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