Greg Walden: “I join the Congressman from Indiana, my friend from Indiana, Mike Pence, in asking our colleagues to sign the discharge…”

“I join the Congressman from Indiana, my friend from Indiana, Mike Pence, in asking our colleagues to sign the discharge petition today to bring the Broadcast Freedom Act to the floor. The Broadcast Freedom Act builds on an initiative that was passed yesterday overwhelmingly by this House to protect the rights of reporters and their sources from government interference so that we can have a vibrant fourth estate, a vibrant press, and free and informed democracy. Mr. Speaker, the Broadcast Freedom Act would prevent bureaucrats and government agencies from censoring and micromanaging what is said on the public's airwaves. It's all under the guise of restoring the Fairness Doctrine, or so-called, which had an incredible, incredible free speech problem that even the courts recognized. Yet, there are some who don't like what they hear on broadcast and TV talk shows, and the powerful elite in this city would like to restore the Fairness Doctrine. We cannot let that happen, not on religious broadcasters, not on liberal broadcasters, not on conservative broadcasters. Sign the discharge petition. Bring the Freedom Act up for a vote.”