Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - February 02, 2005)
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, we have to stop right now all the taxpayer-financed propaganda put out by our government to influence the American people. We need to expedite the investigations, begin congressional hearings, and pass specific new legislation to prevent the administration from using persons paid to pose as legitimate journalists to push for the Bush political agenda.
Last week, we found out, according to the Washington Post, that another commentator, Maggie Gallagher, was paid $21,500 by the Department of Health and Human Services to promote the Bush administration's marriage agenda-a fact she didn't disclose to her readers while writing on the issue.
As most of us now know, thanks to USA Today, the outgoing leadership of the Education Department secretly, and still unapologetically, paid $241,000 to commentator Armstrong Williams to influence his broadcasts. Mr. Williams was paid to comment favorably on the President's No Child Left Behind Act education reform plan, to conduct phony "interviews" with administration officials, and to encourage his colleagues in the media to do the same.
The Gallagher and Williams payments were part of a multimillion dollar, taxpayer-funded public relations scheme to influence and undermine America's free press. Journalists were ranked on the favorability of their news coverage of President Bush on education. Phony video reports and interviews about the President's Medicare prescription drug law were broadcast as independent news on local television.
All parties agree that this type of secret government paid journalism is wrong. Yet Ms. Gallagher and Mr. Williams continue to retain their $21,500 and $241,000 bribes.
I am pleased to join Senator LAUTENBERG, who has been our leader on this issue, in introducing legislation to permanently prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for the type of manipulative payments that Ms. Gallagher and Mr. Williams received. Our legislation will prohibit agencies from issuing news releases, video news releases, and internet messages that do not clearly identify the government as financially responsible for the information.
It will enforce these prohibitions by creating a mechanism to dock the pay of any Cabinet Secretary or agency head responsible, and by authorizing private citizens to bring a court action to recover taxpayer funds.
Propaganda by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Office of Drug Control and Policy has to stop now, before the infection spreads. We cannot sit still in Congress while the administration corrupts the first amendment and freedom of the press.
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