Free Speech Stands Tall While Democrats Shrink From the Budget Battle
Viewers force Kimmel’s return as Schumer and Jeffries fail to pin shutdown blame where it belongs.
Note: At the end of the article behind the paywall I discuss this on video in more detail. For a quick primer I did on government shutdowns and different funding mechanisms check my youtube video CLICK HERE
Lastly, I read this article if you prefer the audio here:
Some rare good news:
It’s not every day we get to celebrate a win for free speech. Tonight, we do. After days of pressure, Jimmy Kimmel will return to the air—a small but meaningful victory for the First Amendment and for everyone who believes humor and dissent still have a place in American life.
This started when Kimmel made a few pointed jokes about the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk. In a normal America, it would have been standard late-night fare. Instead, Sinclair Broadcasting—one of the country’s largest TV station owners and a major GOP donor—as well as Nexstar (who has business before the FCC to allow them a monopoly) moved to pull his show. Sinclair has made no secret of where they stand: with Donald Trump, and apparently against the Constitution they like to wave around at rallies.
The effort gained momentum when Brendan Carr of the FCC decided to play culture warrior, threatening ABC over Kimmel’s comments. I know Brendan. During my time on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I saw firsthand how he operates. He’s always been hungry for the spotlight, willing to stir up outrage just to get his name in the news. He got that attention—but he should be embarrassed by the damage he tried to do to free expression.
And yet, something encouraging happened. Viewers spoke up. Civic leaders and free speech advocates across the spectrum spoke up. Even a few Republicans—too few, but a few—stood up to say this was wrong. That pressure worked. ABC reversed, and Kimmel will be back tonight.
Make no mistake: Sinclair is still refusing to air him. They are putting partisanship over principle. But the bigger story is that the First Amendment bent, and did not break.
This is a small victory, but one worth savoring. It’s proof that when people speak with one voice, even the powerful can be forced to back down. There will be bigger fights ahead—over censorship, over disinformation, over whether America remains a place where we can argue without fear. Let’s stand together, pick the battles that matter, and win them.
And now, the not so good news:
While free speech just won a small battle, Democrats in Congress are losing a much larger one. With a government shutdown only days away, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are failing to meet the moment.
The reality is clear: Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. They alone decide when and how the government is funded. Democrats have absolutely no control over federal spending right now. Yet instead of hammering that truth, Democratic leaders are sending letters, asking to meet with Donald Trump, and behaving as if they share the wheel.
This is exactly the trap Republicans want. By engaging in photo-op negotiations, Democrats lend credibility to the false idea that a shutdown is a bipartisan failure. It isn’t. If the government closes, it is entirely on Trump and the GOP. I have been part of so many of these fights from the inside that I lost count. I know what the goal is…share blame. And the GOP is succeeding.
It’s especially frustrating given the history. In January, Schumer completely caved on a previous funding fight, promising his caucus and the country that the next showdown would be where Democrats drew the line. That line is now, and he isn’t holding it.
Every day that Schumer and Jeffries fail to drive home the simple truth—that Trump and the GOP own this shutdown, period—they help blur responsibility and weaken public resolve.
Democratic leaders and every pro-democracy voice must stop soft-pedaling and start shouting: the GOP alone controls government spending, and a shutdown rests squarely on their shoulders. The American people deserve nothing less than that unflinching clarity.
Sadly at this point, a Democratic takeover of the house in 2026 is far from certain. This isn’t helping, and God forbid what America looks like if they don’t.
Video discussing this in more depth:
