Bill · S.Res. 407· Senate(119-SRES-407)
A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the comments made by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, threatening to penalize ABC and Disney for the political commentary of ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel were dangerous and unconstitutional.
- Introduced
- 9/18/2025
- Last activity
- 9/18/2025 — Referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text: CR S6738)
- Sponsored by
- Edward Markey
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
A Senate resolution is the Senate speaking for itself: stating a position, honouring someone, or setting its own rules. Adopting it is the whole process. Once the Senate agrees to it, it is officially the Senate's word; it is not a law, so the House and the President have no part in it.
What this bill would do
S. Res. 407 expresses the Senate's view that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr acted dangerously and unconstitutionally. The resolution focuses on threats made by Chairman Carr on September 17, 2025, to penalize ABC and Disney over political commentary by Jimmy Kimmel. It claims these threats led to the preemption of programming and the suspension of Mr. Kimmel. The resolution condemns the abuse of regulatory power and affirms the First Amendment. Finally, it calls for Chairman Carr to retract his threats and respect constitutional limits.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this protect the individual right to speak freely?+8
It expressly affirms First Amendment protections against government coercion.
Does this protect what people are allowed to say in public life?+8
The resolution affirms the First Amendment and condemns government coercion of free speech.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+5
It seeks accountability for government officials abusing their positions.
The opposite
Does this give the federal government more power?-5
The resolution condemns the overreach and abuse of federal regulatory power.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection of Free Speech: By affirming the importance of the First Amendment and the independence of broadcasters from government coercion, the resolution seeks to protect the right to political speech and commentary.
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Holding Officials Accountable: The resolution condemns Chairman Brendan Carr for abusing his position as a Federal regulator, which serves to hold a government official accountable for using official power to pressure private broadcasters.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts for individuals or groups are explicitly listed in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Freedom Of Speech+8Improves Government Transparency+5Increases Federal Power-5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Freedom Of Speech+8
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Business Owners+3
- 9/18/2025
- Referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text: CR S6738)
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon