JAWBONE Act

United StatesS.4749 (119th)Updated September 16, 2026

25%of the way to law
Good for your rightsIn progress
  1. Introduced
  2. Passed Senate
  3. Passed House
  4. Became Law

Advanced by Senate Commerce Committee, 18–10, as amended

The Cruz-Wyden bill that lets Americans sue the government for pressuring platforms to censor them, whether or not the censorship worked, with the pressure itself logged in public.

Latest update

Reported by committee

Take action

This bill is still moving, so there's still time to lend your support.

Contact Congress

The bill

Read the full billOfficial bill record

Key facts

Where
United States
Bill number
S.4749 (119th)
Status
In progress
Introduced
June 11, 2026
Threat
Low
Last update
September 16, 2026

Topics

Censorship

Share this bill

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.

What’s at stake

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.

Timeline

  1. Reported by committeeLatest

  2. Introduced

  3. Referred to committee

The record

Sponsor

Ted Cruz (R-TX)

Cosponsors (1)

Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Committee

Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Votes

  • Senate Commerce Committee: Advanced as amended by the Cruz substitute (18 to 10), September 16, 2026. See every vote