'Govt Has Been Caught Collaborating With Private Entities To Censor Narratives': GOP Lawmaker

3 months ago

At today's House Small Business Committee hearing, Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) accused the government of censoring small businesses.

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Transcript

00:00I now call the Committee on Small Business to order.

00:03With that objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess of the Committee at any

00:06time.

00:07We are going to do things a little differently today because we are expecting votes to be

00:10called around 10.30, so we will do our best to get through opening statements, introductions

00:15and witness testimony before we recess to go vote.

00:18We will then reconvene when votes are complete and begin member questions at that time.

00:23So I now recognize myself for my opening statement.

00:26We will begin today's hearing, which will examine how the Federal Government is tipping

00:30the scales against certain business online.

00:32I would like to start off by thanking our witnesses for being with us today.

00:35Your attendance and input on these important issues is greatly appreciated.

00:38The online marketplace is essential for small businesses to generate revenue in the modern

00:42economy.

00:44Business owners use social media and online platforms to reach their customers, earn revenue

00:47from advertising and promote products.

00:50Over a year ago, it was brought to this Committee's attention that the Government has funded certain

00:53third-party organizations which are making it harder for conservative businesses to succeed

00:58online.

00:59When I first heard about this, it seemed simply un-American and against what we should stand

01:02for as a country.

01:04Our economy is based on competition, where anyone that has a superior product, price

01:08or customer service is able to build successful business.

01:11However, during this Committee's investigation, we found out that this simply is no longer

01:15the case.

01:17The Committee uncovered a vast network of nonprofits, research groups and other entities

01:21that receive Government funding with the goal of stopping misinformation.

01:24As these groups attempt to define what is true, there are many voices in businesses

01:28whose reach is being reduced simply because they believe something that is against the

01:33mainstream narrative.

01:34An example of a viewpoint that would prevent the reach of a business or publisher online

01:39would be that the COVID-19 virus was man-made and came from a lab.

01:44Even though this is now a widely accepted theory about how global the pandemic began,

01:52this view expressed just two years ago would have been censored online and limited the

01:56reach of your business.

01:58The issue has extremely consequential First Amendment implications which are working their

02:02way through the judicial system, and this hearing will examine how the efforts have

02:06been trickling down to affect small businesses.

02:08The Committee uncovered three main ways in which a small business ultimately can get

02:12affected by these censorship efforts.

02:15First, these misinformation organizations flag what content is acceptable to post on

02:19social media websites, thereby eliminating their reach to customers if they get in the

02:23crosshairs of these third parties.

02:26Secondly, there are Government-led pressure campaigns to remove certain businesses from

02:29online marketplaces, preventing them from selling their products over the Internet.

02:34Finally, these organizations hinder businesses from earning in advertising revenue and other

02:38income streams by diminishing a business's reputation, in the case of media outlets,

02:43their circulation.

02:45To put this plain and simple, the Government has been caught collaborating with private

02:48entities to censor narratives they don't like, and yes, your taxpayer dollars are being

02:53used to do this.

02:54The Ministry is constantly working as hard as possible to compete and thrive.

02:58The emergence of online marketplaces has provided millions of small businesses with new ways

03:03to make money and reach customers.

03:05However, we have found out that all businesses online are not given a fair chance to succeed

03:09in this new battleground.

03:10So if you do not agree with a company, the customer can choose not to do business with

03:15them.

03:16But when the Government inserts itself in the process to tip the scales against certain

03:19businesses, it simply is unacceptable.

03:21So finally, I ask unanimous consent to enter into a record a statement from Rumble's CEO,

03:26Chris Pawlowski, emphasizing the importance of free speech to not only this country but

03:31the small business upon which our economy depends.

03:33So without objection, it's so ordered.

03:35I want to thank you all again for being here with us today, and I'm looking forward to

03:38today's important conversation.

03:40And with that, I yield to our distinguished Ranking Member from New York, Ms. Velazquez.

03:44Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, everybody.

'Govt Has Been Caught Collaborating With Private Entities To Censor Narratives': GOP Lawmaker

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