Although he has not yet taken the oath of office, President-elect Trump is already having an impact on business on Capitol Hill.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump ordered Republicans to kill a bill that would ramp up legal protections for journalists who leak information.

"REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!" Trump wrote.

Trump kills bill

The post from Trump included a link to a PBS interview with an anti-Trump press advocate plugging the legislation.

"It's really important that we have that federal shield law to protect journalists at the federal level. We know that Trump is interested in going after whistleblowers, people who leak, and it's absolutely essential that they are protected and that journalists' sources are protected and journalists are allowed to do their job," Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said.

The legislation would protect journalists from having to reveal their sources to the government in leak investigations, except in limited cases. During his first term, Trump was the frequent target of hostile news reporting fueled by anonymous, government leaks.

The Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying bill passed the House in January, but it has made little progress in the Senate, where Republicans will soon have a majority.

During their time in the majority, Senate Democrats have failed to move the bill, and the Biden administration - which has often blocked transparency, and spent years hiding Biden's cognitive decline - was indifferent to the legislation.

What's next?

With Trump making his opposition clear, it's unlikely the bill can get the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate filibuster. Trump, of course, has a long and antagonistic history with the overwhelmingly left-wing media industry.

This dynamic continued in the 2024 presidential campaign, when Trump accused ABC and CBS of providing deceptive, one-sided coverage benefiting his opponent, Kamala Harris.

Trump has suggested that broadcasters that provide biased or deceptive coverage, like CBS, should potentially lose their licenses.

The journalism bill's primary Republican backer, Kevin Kiley (R-Ca.), acknowledged the bill still has a way to go before passage.

“Based on the feedback we’ve received from senators and President Trump, it’s clear we have work to do to achieve consensus on this issue,” Kiley told the New York Post.

“I’m looking forward to working with the new administration on a great many areas of common ground as we begin a new era of American prosperity."