Rep. Sean Duffy (WI-7)
Rep. Sean Duffy’s (WI-7) Amendment to CJS Appropriations to Prohibit the Relinquishment of Internet Responsibilities passing the House of Representatives passed the House of Representatives with 229 votes.
This amendment represents one of the few times the House of Representatives has used the power of the purse to stop one of Barack Obama’s public policy initiatives. It effectively stops Obama’s plans to give American control of the internet away to an unknown, unaccountable group of “international stakeholders.” Perhaps the largest concern in giving power to the stakeholders is that they have no First Amendment restraints against content censorship.
Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens issued the following statement in response to the passage of the amendment:
“I applaud each of the 229 House members who stood up to pressure from international interests to defund all efforts from the Obama administration to give away control of the internet. This example of the House of Representatives utilizing the power of the purse to reign in the out-of-control Obama administration sets an important precedent for the next three years.
“We call on Speaker Boehner to hold firm on the House’s commitment to defund the Obama internet giveaway to unknown, unaccountable international stakeholders when he negotiates the final funding package for the Commerce Department with the United States Senate. Of particular note is the incredible courage and foresight of Representative Sean Duffy who took on this seemingly impossible task and led it to victory.”
