Republicans scored a win this week when they were able to strip a controversial proposal from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
According to Breitbart, something called the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) had been attached to the NDAA at the insistence of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The legislation allows media companies to form a "joint negotiating entity" which would be exempt from antitrust legislation and able to negotiate with search engines and social media platforms in order to get paid for content.
Critics say any such entity would be dominated by mainstream outlets which would seek to silence independent voices.
What's more, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued that the arrangement would allow propaganda outlets based in China and other hostile countries to influence what Americans see in their search results.
Giving the media cartel power is bad enough.
The JCPA's "China loophole" means this will benefit our adversaries.
All Republicans should oppose cramming this bad bill in the NDAA.https://t.co/2SO18ZuDxI
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) December 6, 2022
The conservative group Freedom Works blasted the JCPA as an example of "pure cronyism" that does not belong as part of the NDAA.
The JCPA (pure cronyism that runs counter to the idea of an open internet) should not be tagged onto the #NDAA; it should be voted on as a standalone bill. #ampFW ➡️ https://t.co/DNidwpdKzy pic.twitter.com/D9iYrNi9Y4
— FreedomWorks (@FreedomWorks) December 6, 2022
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. demanded to know why some in the GOP were helping Democrats "to destroy alternative media."
Why are some Republicans working with Dems to destroy alternative media? This law gives Big Tech & the Corporate Media MORE censorship power. Strip it out of the NDAA!
Group of 10 GOP Patriots Push Back on McConnell, Democrat Push to Include JCPA in NDAAhttps://t.co/Qgcq9imNMk
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 6, 2022
Trump went on to hail a group of 10 Republican lawmakers identified in a Breitbart article as being "patriots" for their opposition to the JCPA.
The group is said to include Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, Montana Sen. Steve Daines, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.
The JCPA has no place in a defense authorization bill. This provision is simply a backroom deal to bail out Big Media for its failed business practices.
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) December 6, 2022
Breitbart pointed to Capitol Hill sources who said that two other Republican senators are also planning to oppose the JCPA. However, they have not made their stance public at this time.
