Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, called for the House Judiciary Committee to hold a public hearing on cancel culture.
#BREAKING: Ranking Member @Jim_Jordan calls on @RepJerryNadler to hold first full committee hearing on “cancel culture.” pic.twitter.com/FEI20b6qio
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) March 1, 2021
Jordan, who is the committee’s ranking Republican, argued that Congress should investigate “the wave” of “censorship” occurring in private companies, on college campuses and on social media.
“Cancel culture’s long-term consequences to our democracy and our constitutional framework are serious and substantial,” he wrote in a letter to committee chair Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.
He cited Big Tech’s recent decision to permanently ban former president Donald Trump and Amazon’s decision to pull a book about gender dysphoria as evidence that no one is safe from cancellation.
“The wave of cancel culture spreading the nation is a fundamental threat to free speech rights in the United States,” he wrote.
Jordan said cancel culture was a dangerous phenomenon, regardless of whether one agreed or disagreed with the views being censored.
“Our society must always promote the free exchange of ideas, not cancel the ideas with which we disagree, he said. “If cancel culture continues unchallenged, it is not just the unpopular or controversial viewpoints that are at risk.”
Jordan said it was up to legislators to join together in proactively addressing the disturbing trend.
“There is no better issue on which Republicans and Democrats can work together to address in our first full committee hearing than to address the scourge of cancel culture in the United States,” he said.
Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Dan Bishop, R-N.C., signaled that they would also support a committee hearing on the topic.
Absolutely! https://t.co/nNven5qDQQ
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 2, 2021
.@Jim_Jordan is right.
Cancel culture is insidious. It erodes the First Amendment & is inherently unamerican. https://t.co/lg5qCl0a5y
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) March 2, 2021
