Louise Slaughter: “I rise to speak today on one of the most critical issues that faces our democracy, the freedom of the press and the…”

“I rise to speak today on one of the most critical issues that faces our democracy, the freedom of the press and the sacred historic protection afforded to journalists allowing them not to reveal their sources. Understanding this, in 1799, one of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, said, "Our citizens may be deceived for a while, and have been deceived; but as long as the presses can be protected, we may trust to them for light." Madam Speaker, with the birth of this new Nation came a government that was designed to be open and transparent to its people and held accountable for its actions. America's Founding Fathers established and implemented a system of checks and balances to ensure that one branch of government could not unilaterally impose its will on the others, aggressively overstep its authority, or greedily infringe upon the rights of its citizens. Beyond the checks and balances of government is an often overlooked, but equally important, element of our system: the freedom of the press.”