Groups call on Congress to vote on Espionage Act reform amendment for whistleblower protection.

A group of 19 civil liberty, press freedom, human rights, and whistleblower protection groups are urging the House Rules Committee to allow a Floor vote on an amendment to reform the Espionage Act.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., introduced amendment 759 to the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 to reform the Espionage Act and safeguard journalists and whistleblowers from governmental overreach.

The groups penned a letter to Rules Committee Chair Michael Burgess, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Jim McGovern, D-Mass., pushing for the amendment to be considered and put to a full vote. The letter, posted on X by Defending Rights & Dissent, emphasized the urgency of such reform.

“We urge you to find the amendment in order and send it to the floor for a full vote,” the groups emphasized. “Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, amendment 759 reforms the Espionage Act to rein in the government’s abuse of the law to target journalists and whistleblowers. Such an amendment is urgently needed.”

Other prominent organizations that endorsed the letter include the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Government Accountability Project, Government Information Watch, Project on Government Oversight, National Security Counselors, Reporters Without Borders, Veterans for Peace, and Whistleblowers of America.

The Espionage Act, a law that dates back to World War I, is criticized for its ability to stifle press freedom by targeting journalists, publishers, sources, and whistleblowers. This law, with its broad language, criminalizes the disclosure of ‘national defense information’ without clearly defining the term.

Amendment 759 aims to align the Espionage Act with modern First Amendment jurisprudence and rectify due process violations that Espionage Act whistleblower defendants have faced, as stated in the letter.

Sections §793 and §798 of the Espionage Act have been repeatedly used to threaten press freedom, making it imperative to tighten the language of these provisions and include safeguards such as an affirmative public interest defense.

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, currently faces extradition to the U.S. on espionage charges for publishing classified U.S. military documents. Tlaib has voiced her support for Assange, previously advocating for the release of the whistleblower.

There have been previous efforts to reform the Espionage Act, with lawmakers like Reps. Thomas Massie, Ro Khanna, and Sen. Ron Wyden introducing the Espionage Act Reform Act in 2022. Additionally, Massie and McGovern led a congressional letter urging President Biden to drop the prosecution of Assange.