IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 133 
Celebrating freedom of the press. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2018 
Mr. GALLEGO submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Celebrating freedom of the press. 
Whereas President Kennedy delivered an address on April 27, 
1961, in which he praised a free press and welcomed 
media scrutiny of his Administration; 
Whereas President Kennedy stated— 
(1) ‘‘No President should fear public scrutiny of his 
program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding 
and from that understanding comes support or opposi-
tion. And both are necessary.’’; and 
(2) ‘‘I not only could not stifle controversy among 
your readers—I welcome it. . . . Without debate, without 
criticism, no Administration, and no country can suc-
ceed—and no republic can survive.’’; 
Whereas President Ronald Reagan, in proclaiming August 2, 
1985, Freedom of the Press Day, extolled freedom of the 
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press as ‘‘one of our most import freedoms and also one 
of our oldest’’; 
Whereas President Reagan further stated that ‘‘Our tradition 
of a free press as a vital part of our democracy is as im-
portant as ever.’’; 
Whereas Congress through numerous joint resolutions has 
authorized and requested the President to issue a procla-
mation in observance of ‘‘Freedom of the Press Day’’; 
and 
Whereas President Trump has consistently lambasted the 
media throughout his presidency, including— 
(1) tweeting on February 17, 2017, that, ‘‘The 
FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, 
@ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the 
enemy of the American People!’’; 
(2) calling the press ‘‘Fake News’’ for reporting 
facts, including repeating President Trump’s own state-
ments; 
(3) suggesting that the FBI should ‘‘consider put-
ting reporters in prison’’; 
(4) calling the press ‘‘hypocrites’’ for criticizing the 
Helsinki summit with President Putin after President 
Trump stated publicly he believes Putin’s denials of elec-
tion interference over the intelligence community (as such 
term is defined in section 3(4) of the National Security 
Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)); 
(5) excluding Kaitlan Collins, a CNN reporter, on 
July 25, 2018, from a White House event given Ms. Col-
lins’ critical questions of President Trump earlier in the 
day regarding the President’s alleged payments to a 
Playboy model; and 
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(6) tweeting, ‘‘The Fake News Media is going 
Crazy! They make up stories without any backup, sources 
or proof. Many of the stories written about me, and the 
good people surrounding me, are total fiction.’’: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That— 
(1) Congress strongly endorses the role of a 
free press in a democratic society; 
(2) in the spirit of President Kennedy and 
President Reagan, Congress welcomes media scru-
tiny of the United States Government, and particu-
larly of the President, to ensure transparent and ef-
fective Government; and 
(3) Congress urges President Trump to cease 
attacking the media and excluding journalists asking 
questions critical of the President. 
Æ 
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