Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

Mr. Chair, I think most Americans are aware that the President has recently stated that he intends to transfer the core functions of the Internet to an international or foreign body. What my amendment does today will prohibit the President from using any of these funds to relinquish control of those core functions to the Internet.

I think this is an incredibly important amendment because America and our zest for freedom of speech has made sure that the Internet is an open forum for dialogue, an open forum for ideas. By relinquishing these rights or core functions to a foreign body, I don't think we will retain the current system of the Internet and the current rights of freedom of speech that the Internet currently enjoys.

If you look at stakeholders, you have a say in how the Internet is run. I think when we use the term ``stakeholders,'' what we are really referring to are foreign governments and corporations. I think we have to ask the question: Do we think that China, that Russia, that Iran, who have a say in the core functions of the Internet, have the same concern for the freedom of speech that we Americans do?

I think it is important that this institution use its control of the purse strings to limit the President's authority to transfer those core functions to this foreign body.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

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