ACLU – September 14, 2026

Posted on September 14, 2026

The Senate Commerce Committee is voting on a bipartisan bill this Wednesday that could stop President Trump from bullying broadcasters into censorship. Will you join us in urging your Congressmembers to co-sponsor the JAWBONE Act today?

The government can’t circumvent the First Amendment by coercing private companies into silencing speech the president doesn’t like. But they’ve been doing exactly that – from threatening station licenses over Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes to burying companies in regulatory enforcement to keep political candidates off the air.

The JAWBONE Act would create critical safeguards banning the government from bullying broadcasters, social media platforms, and AI companies into censoring their own speech or the speech of their users. And, it gives people the ability to sue if the government does it anyway.

Tell your representatives to co-sponsor this essential bill and prevent another unconstitutional attack on our freedom of speech.

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The government doesn’t get to decide what perspectives the public is allowed to hear and share – and it definitely can’t silence people just for expressing an opinion that the president doesn’t like.

But over the past year, the FCC has threatened to pull station licenses multiple times in retaliation for constitutionally-protected speech. It’s even started the process to repeal ABC’s licenses because Jimmy Kimmel made jokes that Trump didn’t like. Media companies are being openly pressured to toe the line in order to avoid punishment.

It’s an abuse of power, and it chills the exact type of speech that our First Amendment was written to protect. Jokes are protected by the Constitution. Controversial speech is protected by the Constitution. Political speech is protected by the Constitution. Advocacy the president disagrees with is protected by the Constitution. It’s long past time for a bill that protects against the government’s roundabout attempts at illegal censorship.

Join us in calling on Congress to support and pass the JAWBONE Act immediately.

Thanks for acting with us,

Jenna Leventoff
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Senior Policy Counsel, ACLU

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