JAWBONE Act
What it does
Jawboning is the government leaning on private companies to remove speech it cannot legally ban. The JAWBONE Act creates a cause of action against any federal agency or employee that does it: the target can sue for damages, and the claim stands whether or not the platform complied. It adds transparency on top, with standards for logging covered communications between federal officials and platforms and a public portal for them. Introduced June 11, 2026 by Ted Cruz and Ron Wyden, with endorsements spanning the ACLU, FIRE, the Knight Institute, CDT, and the Institute for Free Speech.
Why it matters
Censorship by proxy has been both parties' favorite tool because it leaves no statute to challenge: the Biden White House leaned on platforms over COVID posts, and the Trump administration has leaned on broadcasters. A damages remedy plus a public log converts the quiet phone call into a litigation risk and a public record. The endorsement list, from the ACLU to FIRE, shows how rare the coalition behind it is.
Our take
Most bills in this tracker build censorship infrastructure; this one dismantles some. The test of seriousness will be what survives markup: the private right of action with damages is the part that changes official behavior, and it is the part agencies will lobby hardest to strip.
Cosponsors (1)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Committee
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Timeline
- June 11, 2026Introduced
- June 11, 2026Referred to committee
Our coverage: all censorship stories · Status checked July 20, 2026