{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sen-johnson-joins-sen-cruz-colleagues-to-condemn-doj-attempts-to-silence-dissent-about-gender-reassignment-surgeries-for-minors", "Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Cruz, Colleagues to Condemn DOJ Attempts to Silence Dissent About Gender Reassignment Surgeries for Minors", "2022-10-12", "2022", "2022-10", "Republican", "Senate", "WI", "Ron Johnson", "J000293", "www.ronjohnson.senate.gov", "ronjohnson", "https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Demand DOJ Communications with American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, Children\u2019s Hospital Association, and any of their representatives\n\nOSHKOSH \u2013 On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and three of their Republican colleagues in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland condemning the Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) patterned abuse of investigative authority to police the speech of Americans and stifle the ongoing policy debate over whether minors should receive experimental gender reassignment procedures.\n\nThe senators also demanded any and all communications by Garland or any other DOJ employee with the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and/or Children\u2019s Hospital Association or any of their representatives about this issue, in order to conduct congressional oversight and hold accountable everyone responsible for this outrageous policy.\n\n\u201cIf there is a bedrock principle in American self-governance, it is that the federal government has no place in quashing or criminalizing civic discourse. The issue of how best to treat minors struggling with their gender dysphoria is the subject of ongoing and emotional debate, which Americans have a protected First Amendment right to fully engage in. The strength of our democracy is dependent on the ability of all citizens to peacefully participate in public debate without fear of persecution from your agency or any other,\u201d said the senators.\n\n\u201cWe call upon you to reaffirm that you will faithfully protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans to peacefully debate this and all other policy questions, irrespective of viewpoint. The weaponization of federal law enforcement agencies like the DOJ, in order to produce preferred policy outcomes, cannot continue \u2013 our democracy depends on it,\u201d the senators concluded.\n\nSens. Johnson and Cruz are joined on the release by Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).\n\nRead more about the letter in Fox News.\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:20:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sen-johnson-joins-sen-cruz-colleagues-to-condemn-doj-attempts-to-silence-dissent-about-gender-reassignment-surgeries-for-minors"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7836951408535242, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}