Press Releases
Hawley, Braun Slam Biden Administration for Failure to Release All Information on COVID-19 Origins, Demand Full Report
Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, after the Director and the Biden Administration failed to comply with the Senators' COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, by releasing an incomplete report on the origins of COVID-19 well beyond the statutory deadline. The Senators demanded that Director Haines provide a new, complete report including any and all information pertaining to the origins of COVID-19, within seven days. "On March 20, President Biden signed the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, which we introduced in the Senate to help get to the truth about China and COVID-19," the Senators wrote. "That law required the Director of National...
Hawley Demands Oversight Hearing After Biden Energy Secretary’s False Statements About Holding Stocks
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) yesterday, urging him to schedule an oversight hearing to investigate the false statements Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm admitted to making to Senator Hawley during an April committee hearing. During the hearing, Secretary Granholm claimed she did not own any personal financial stocks, when in fact, she held individual stocks as recently as May of this year. "I write in response to Secretary Granholm’s letter to the committee dated June 9, 2023 admitting that she made false statements concerning her ownership of individual stocks," wrote Senator Hawley. "Secretary Granholm needs to return to...
‘Any Man Could’ve Walked Into Our Locker Room,’ Riley Gaines Recounts to Senator Hawley
Today in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned Riley Gaines, decorated collegiate swimmer and female sports advocate. Gaines described to Senator Hawley her experiences competing against a transgender athlete, and the trauma she and her teammates endured when their privacy was invaded by being forced to undress in front of a biological male. "You were talking about just the incredible surprise, shall I say to put it gently, of finding a biological man, a 6-foot-4 biological man, in your locker room and having to accept that without being asked about it, without being told about it even. What was that like for you—tell us about that," said Senator Hawley. "I—again we only became aware we would be undressing next to a man was when...
Hawley and Braun Demand Biden Implement COVID Origins Act
U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) have sent a letter to President Biden demanding he implement the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, and declassify and release all information related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We introduced the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 earlier this Congress to hold China accountable for its obfuscation during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic," wrote the Senators. "The American people deserve to know how this pandemic began, and their democratically elected representatives have expressed their will unanimously." In March, Senator Hawley's COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 was signed into law by President Biden. The legislation requires the Biden administration to declassify...
Hawley, Blumenthal Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Consumers and Deny AI Companies Section 230 Immunity
Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) – the Ranking Member and the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, respectively – introduced the No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act. This new bipartisan legislation would clarify that Section 230 immunity will not apply to claims based on generative AI, ensuring consumers have the tools they need to protect themselves from harmful content produced by the latest advancements in AI technology. For example, AI-generated “deepfakes” – lifelike false images of real individuals – are exploding in popularity. Ordinary people can now suffer life-destroying consequences for saying things they never said, or doing things they never would. Companies complicit...
Hawley, Peters Bill to Improve and Protect Rural Hospitals’ Cybersecurity Advances in Senate
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley's (R-Mo.) Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, cosponsored by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), passed through committee and now heads to the Senate floor. This legislation was originally introduced in May 2023. It addresses the critical need for skilled cybersecurity professionals and digital security enhancement protocols in rural healthcare settings. In March, HSGAC members held a hearing that identified rural healthcare facilities as soft targets for cybercriminals. Unlike larger urban hospitals, rural hospitals often have little to no full-time cybersecurity personnel and are particularly exposed to cyberattacks. The...
Hawley Demands Answers from Biden Energy Secretary for Misleading Congress About Holding Stocks
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm demanding an explanation for misleading Senator Hawley during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. During the April hearing, Secretary Granholm claimed she did not own any personal financial stocks, when in fact, she held individual stocks as recently as May of this year. "I write in response to your letter dated June 9, 2023 to the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources admitting that you misled the committee and, in particular, misled me about your compliance with federal ethics laws and your conflicts of interest regarding stock holdings," wrote Senator Hawley. "These alarming new revelations demand an...
Hawley Statement on Biden’s Energy Secretary Lying About Holding Stocks
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement after Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm revealed that she held financial stocks as recently as May of this year, contradicting previous statements she made to Senator Hawley during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing earlier this year. So Granholm lied to me on April 20 - and it took the Administration 6 full weeks to admit it. Brazen https://t.co/48EOYUdL7V — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 9, 2023 It is time to BAN all senior executive branch officials and all members of Congress from owning & trading stock — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 9, 2023 The Energy Department has rampant conflict of interest problems top to bottom - need to root it out https://t.co/YmkyYPJ6TI — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO)...
Hawley Announces Guiding Principles for Future AI Legislation
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced his guiding principles for the future of American artificial intelligence (AI) legislation. Senator Hawley's principles seek to protect Americans' privacy as AI continues to develop at a pace that threatens to upend many aspects of American life. "Congress can and should act to protect Americans’ privacy, stave off the harms of unchecked AI development, insulate kids from harmful impacts, and keep this valuable technology out of the hands of our adversaries," said Senator Hawley. "Taken together, these five principles will help set the course for the responsible development of American AI." To guide future federal action, Senator Hawley proposed five guiding principles: First, create private rights of action. Individual...
Hawley and Blumenthal Demand Answers from Meta, Warn of Misuse After ‘Leak’ of Meta’s AI Model
U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, wrote a new letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, seeking information about the “leak” of its Large Language Model Meta AI (LLaMA) program. While Meta originally only purported to release the program to approved researchers within the AI community, the company’s vetting and safeguards appear to have been minimal and the full model appeared online within days, making the model, “available to anyone, anywhere in the world, without monitoring or oversight,” the Senators wrote. In the letter, Hawley and Blumenthal warned that there were “seemingly minimal” protections in Meta’s “unrestrained and permissive” release, and the...