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The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Week of March 6, 2023

Washington, March 5, 2023
Here’s what to watch for on the House Floor this week:

Stopping the Government From Colluding with Big Tech to Silence Americans

The ‘tolerant’ Left continues to wage war on our fundamental right to free speech.

Government agencies such as the FBI and the State Department have been working behind-the-scenes with Big Tech to silence American citizens expressing conservative views online.


Recently, the Twitter Files exposed how FBI agents colluded with Big Tech to suppress stories like the Hunter Biden laptop story and the lab leak theory on the origin of COVID-19. 


The job of the government is to protect our free speech, not suppress it. Americans have the right to express themselves lawfully online without the government controlling the narrative.

Chairman Jamie Comer’s legislation, H.R. 140, the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act, prohibits federal employees from colluding with private platforms to censor lawful speech by expanding the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from taking part in political activities in their official capacity.

House Republicans are taking action to protect Americans’ constitutional right to free speech and keep the marketplace of ideas open for debate.

Reversing Biden’s Overreaching WOTUS Rule

Once again, the Biden Administration is grasping for more control at the expense of everyday Americans. 

President Biden’s rule redefining “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act expands the federal government's regulatory power and places the burden on small businesses, farmers, local communities, manufacturers, and private property owners. 

The rule expands permitting requirements, broadens the EPA’s jurisdiction by failing to define what waters are covered, and will have a significant economic impact on small businesses. 

Hardworking Americans deserve less red tape, not more.

H.J. Res. 27, introduced by Rep. Sam Graves, blocks the Biden EPA’s overreaching and unclear WOTUS rule, and protects small businesses and farmers from the regulatory burdens it would create.

House Republicans will continue to fight against the Biden Administration’s weaponization of the administrative state. 


Demanding Transparency on Covid Origins

Finally, the American people have more information about where COVID-19 came from, and it turns out Republicans were right all along: The pandemic most likely originated from a Chinese lab leak.


 
But Dr. Fauci and his Big Tech and liberal media allies worked to suppress the story for years.
 

While Republicans have been demanding transparency since the pandemic began, House Democrats have blocked legislation that could have exposed the truth sooner.

Last Congress, S. 1867, the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021, passed the Senate, but House Democrats refused to bring it to the Floor for consideration.

Now, Congress has a second chance to get this right and uncover the truth for the American people.

S.619, the COVID–19 Origin Act of 2023, requires the Director of National Intelligence to declassify all information on the origin of COVID-19 and any potential links with the Wuhan Institute of Virology within 90 days of enactment.

Transparency on the origins of COVID-19 is long overdue. Americans deserve to know the truth about what the government knew and when, and House Republicans are going to make sure they get it.