House passes bill to protect free speech from government interference, 206 Democrats oppose

Under the bill, a federal employee cannot use their "official authority to censor any private entity, including outside of normal duty hours and while such employee is away from the employee's normal duty post."

By Nicholas Ballasy

Published: March 9, 2023 5:01pm

Updated: March 9, 2023 5:14pm

The GOP-led House passed the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act on Thursday with 206 Democrats voting against it.

The bill passed with 219 votes.

Kentucky GOP Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee, sponsored the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act, which sets a standard that "employees acting in their official capacity should neither take action within their authority or influence to promote the censorship of any lawful speech, nor advocate that a third party, including a private entity, censor such speech."

The vote on the legislation comes after the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government held a hearing on "the politicization of the FBI and DOJ and attacks on American civil liberties."