Senate defends press freedom against FCC chairman's threats
S.Res. 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. · Filed by Ed Markey (D-MA) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Sep 18, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This Senate resolution condemns FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for publicly threatening to penalize ABC and Disney over late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's political commentary, arguing that such threats violate the First Amendment and abuse regulatory power. The resolution calls on Carr to retract the threats and reaffirm his commitment to constitutional limits on his office.
Why we flagged it
This is a sense-of-the-Senate resolution expressing disapproval of alleged government overreach into press freedom. It does not create law or impose penalties; it is a statement of legislative opinion on a constitutional matter.
What the text implies
- The resolution's passage would signal Senate opposition to FCC enforcement actions against broadcasters for editorial content, potentially constraining future regulatory action in that domain.
- If Carr's comments were made in an official capacity, the resolution may create political pressure for his removal or recusal from broadcast-related matters.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Disney/ABC (parent company and broadcaster named in the resolution)