Ted Cruz Cozies Up to Amy Klobuchar on New Bill
(TargetLiberty.org) – An ultra-conservative GOP senator has found an unlikely new ally — a Democrat. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is supporting a bipartisan bill that, according to many Conservatives, would make media censorship even worse. His fellow Republicans don’t understand why he’s supporting the controversial legislation, and they’re not happy.
Conservatives Oppose Ted Cruz Censorship Move: This Is a 'Bad Bill' https://t.co/F13O1He0FP
— Col. Rob Maness ret. 1776 🇺🇸 (@RobManess) September 23, 2022
Last March Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2021. Klobuchar said this would support local journalism by allowing news organizations to form cartels to negotiate with social media companies over access to their content. However, Conservatives warned it would exempt news organizations from antitrust regulations and force tech companies to “subsidize journalists.”
In mid-September, Senator Cruz managed to add an amendment to the bill to prevent tech giants from forcing news organizations to take down content in exchange for payment. In response, Klobuchar pulled her support for her own bill, claiming it was unacceptable — but then struck a deal with Cruz that leaves the amendment almost unchanged.
Cruz is now supporting the bill in alliance with Klobuchar, but most GOP senators still think it’s bad legislation. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) said he’s “confused” at the amendment, while Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) says the bill “will lead to more censorship.” Cruz is staking a lot of political capital on this bill, and his fellow Republicans have no idea why.
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