At a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this week, the debate over the power of unions came to a head when Teamsters President Sean O'Brien and Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) engaged in a heated exchange. Mullin, a former non-union plumbing company owner with a net worth of more than $30 million, accused union leaders of engaging in intimidation tactics in order to secure exorbitant salary for themselves. O'Brien countered by questioning Mullin's salary when he was owned by his company. However, the House Ethics Committee had previously ordered Mullin to repay $40,000 to one of his businesses after an investigation into his receiving more than $600,000 in outside income - which was well above the congressional limit.
The hearing was chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt. ), who had previously threatened Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz with a subpoena to testify later this month about anti-union tactics used by the company. This week, House Democrats also harshly criticized two journalists, Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger, for their report on the government's censorship efforts. During the hearing, Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) characterized the journalists as being "so-called" and a "direct threat" to safety. Taibbi defended himself by citing his award-winning career at Rolling Stone magazine and other publications, but other committee members attacked journalists' honesty and ethics.
The Federal Trade Commission, headed by chairwoman Lina Khan, a former Democratic staffer, has also demanded that Twitter turn over the names of journalists who communicated with the company. This week's hearing clearly demonstrated that the House Democrats have embraced censorship on social media and resisted attempts to uncover government efforts to silence citizens. This is a stark departure from the traditional values of free speech and free press and has raised the alarm for many about the future of the country.