Joco Today

Senator Roger Marshall has expressed concerns regarding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) monitoring of online political speech as the 2024 election approaches. In a letter, Senator Marshall and his colleagues raised alarms about potential First Amendment violations due to censorship on social media and search engine platforms. They cited similar actions by CISA during the 2020 election cycle, which led to significant censorship issues.

"The First Amendment prohibits the government from ‘abridging freedom of speech’ and the Supreme Court has recognized that for ‘core political speech’ ‘the importance of First Amendment protections is at its zenith.’ In today’s world, ‘core political speech’ is often found on social media platforms. Instead of respecting these long-standing norms, CISA has in the past worked with partners to violate them, thus undermining trust in the agency for many Americans," wrote the senators.

They further quoted the Supreme Court: "if there is a fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion." The letter emphasized discouraging CISA from determining favored or disfavored speech in future actions.

The senators urged CISA to focus on its primary mission of safeguarding America's critical cybersecurity infrastructure. They concluded by asking CISA to confirm it will refrain from censoring Americans' online expressions or collaborating with entities aiming to control digital information or opinions.

Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) joined Senator Marshall in leading this initiative.