Press Releases

In a bipartisan effort, Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) sent a letter today calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate new evidence of Amazon violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) with its Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition, a digital assistant targeted to children.

“Social media and video games prey on user addiction, siphoning our kids’ attention from the real world and extracting profits from fostering compulsive habits. No matter this business model’s advantages to the tech industry, one thing is clear: there is no excuse for exploiting children through such practices. When a game is designed for kids, game developers shouldn’t be allowed to monetize addiction. And when kids play games designed for adults, they should be walled off from compulsive...

"The Iran nuclear deal was one of the single worst foreign policy disasters in recent memory. It severely threatened our closest allies and rewarded our worst adversaries by giving them a fast track toward acquiring nuclear weapons. I support the Administration’s maximum pressure campaign to hold Iran accountable for its sponsorship of terrorism, human rights abuses and leading role in the proliferation of chemical weapons.”

Following reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is negotiating penalties for Facebook’s breach of its consent order, U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons to urge the FTC “to act swiftly to conclude its investigation of Facebook and to move to compel sweeping changes to end the social network’s pattern of misuse and abuse of personal data.”

Senator Josh Hawley delivered a provocative speech yesterday raising the stakes of the debates over big tech and expanding the scope of the discussion beyond privacy and free speech, questioning whether social media actually provides any real value to the American economy and American society.

"This legislation is a crucial part of making sure that [rape] kits get tested, that these cases are solved, that perpetrators are prosecuted, and that criminals are finally sent to prison." –Senator Josh Hawley

Today during Attorney General William Barr’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Josh Hawley said the counterintelligence investigation into President Trump was an attempt by unelected bureaucrats to overturn a democratic election because of their disdain for Trump voters.

“I am disgusted by the recent string of attacks on people in their places of worship. No one should feel threatened while practicing their faith. We should condemn the despicable acts of violence in Sri Lanka in the strongest terms possible and call it what is – radical Islamic terrorism. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and communities grieving the loss of their loved ones on such a holy day for the Christian faith."

“Although more will be needed in the future, this package would have expedited critical aid for Missourians whose homes, crops, and livestock have been destroyed by catastrophic flooding,” said Senator Josh Hawley. “It’s shameful that Democrats would hold hostage aid to farmers and ranchers in order to settle political scores. This is Washington at its worst.”

“I request that your Department protect the rights of these students by monitoring closely the changes Yale is making to its policy and by taking all appropriate legal action to strip Yale of federal funding should it—as an institution that is supposed to be neutral about religion—target religious students for special disfavor.”