U.S. Representatives Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) and Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) on Friday sponsored the House version of the Charlie Kirk Act of 2025, a legislative effort to reverse a bill signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2012.
Ogles’ office explained in a press release that the Charlie Kirk Act, originally introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), would amend the changes to federal legislation made by the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012, which critics said allowed the federal government to distribute propaganda within the nation’s borders.
The legislation was signed into law by Obama after being included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012, which Congress must pass annually to pay members of the nation’s military.
“The federal government has no business brainwashing the American people. For years, the government has controlled the media behind the scenes to spew globalist propaganda,” stated Ogles. “The result has been a rightful erosion of trust in every institution. The United States government should never use its power to steer, shape, or censor the free flow of information in our own country.”
He added, “This bill begins the work of winning that trust back. I want to thank Senator Lee for his work on this, and I’m proud to co-lead his effort here in the House.”
When Lee introduced the bill in September, he said it would honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy as a fierce proponent of the First Amendment and civil debate.
“From the end of World War II until the Obama administration, it was illegal for the US government to use the State Department’s foreign broadcasting apparatus to target American citizens with propaganda,” stated Lee.
“In 2013, these protections were taken away. My legislation restores this safeguard under the name of an American martyr for freedom of speech and freedom of thought: Charlie Kirk.”
The senator added, “As Charlie’s vital work so ably demonstrated, Americans can figure out the truth for themselves without government telling them what to believe.”
Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA after dropping out of college at 18, was assassinated at a college campus in Utah on September 10. He was 31.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Andy Ogles” by Andy Ogles. Photo “Byron Donalds” by Byron Donalds.
