Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today conducted a colloquy with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on the Kids Online Safety Act. Below is the colloquy:
Leader Schumer: I see my friend, Senator Blumenthal, is on the floor and I’d ask him to engage in a colloquy on a very important issue, a top priority of mine, and a bill that I am a proud cosponsor of, the Kids Online Safety Act.
Senator Blumenthal: Thank you to my colleague, Leader Schumer. The Leader has been working tirelessly to get this bill done. I’ve seen the work up close and I have seen the benefits. After pushing and cajoling, we are much closer to ultimate success. This bill, which has nearly 70 cosponsors, is a set of safeguards and accountability measures to protect kids from the clear and horrific harms created by social media and other online platforms. The bill is responsive to the countless stories that we’ve heard from bereaved parents and young people about the terrible consequences these platforms have had on their lives. And just to repeat I want to thank my colleague Leader Schumer. The Leader has been working tirelessly to get this bill done, I have seen the work up close and I have seen the benefits. After pushing and cajoling, we are much closer to ultimate success.
Leader Schumer: I thank my colleague, like him I have personally met with the families that have been harmed, I have seen their terrible stories and I am committed, completely committed, to work with them to get KOSA across the finish line. With the hard work of Senator Blumenthal and Senator Blackburn, KOSA has passed through the Commerce Committee unanimously and has gotten up to 70 cosponsors. Last month, I put together a plan to get KOSA done through unanimous consent for a time agreement on the floor. I personally helped resolve issues and mitigated unintended consequences of the bill. That effort reduced the opposition but there are still hold outs.
Senator Blumenthal: As the Leader said, we have made significant progress in resolving outstanding issues. This work is hard, but I think it is without doubt that we are closer under his leadership. I also thank my partner in this effort, Sen. Blackburn, as well as the amazing parents and youth advocates who have worked so hard on this bill. Put plainly, I am confident based on my conversations with Leader Schumer we are going to get this bill done.
Leader Schumer: I thank my colleague once again for his good work. After weeks of work, we have made real progress in removing objections to this bill. Sadly, objectors remain. I hope that progress can continue over the coming days. If the objectors refuse to come to a resolution, we must pursue a different legislative path to get this done.
