Rep. Neguse Delivers Floor Speech Denouncing Unlawful Nexstar-Tegna Merger, Calls for Statutory Restriction on FCC

Washington, D.C. — In case you missed it, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse took to the House Floor yesterday to further denounce the $6.2 billion Nexstar Media-Tegna merger and call for legislative action to rein in the unlawful actions of the FCC. Neguse criticized the agency for attempting to bypass the national audience limitation (currently 39%) established by Congress in 2004. He cited the dissenting statement of one FCC Commissioner who stated that only Congress has the authority to change the cap, not the Trump administration. He further called for his colleagues to support his effort to impose statutory restrictions on the FCC to prevent the agency from using fee-generated revenues to approve mergers that violate Federal law.  

Rep. Neguse has voiced his opposition to the merger for months, and intends to pursue remedies via the appropriations process for FY2026-2027 to rein in the FCC’s lawlessness. 

Image

To see the full video or download Congressman Neguse’s remarks, click HERE.

A full transcript of his remarks is available below. 

NEGUSE: Mr. Speaker, last week, in the dead of night, the FCC and the Department of Justice did something unprecedented. They approved a merger that would create the nation's largest local television station operator.  

Nexstar Media Group's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna would make it the largest local television station owner in the United States. 265 stations across 44 states, reaching 80% of American households.

Why did they approve it? Simple reason. Because Donald Trump wanted them to. 

The deal is outrageous. It's devastating for local news, devastating for consumers, devastating for freedom of the press. But perhaps most problematic of all, Mr. Speaker, it is unlawful. 

The merger and the decision to approve it violates the law. And by the way, this isn't complicated. It is simple. In 2004, Congress created a very specific 39% national audience limitation. That is in the law. It's not ambiguous. It's not nebulous. It is clear-cut. And this merger violates it. 

 Let me read, Mr. Speaker, the dissent from one of the FCC commissioners. I hope every member of this body reads it in full. “This order is wrong on the law, wrong on the policy, and the process by which it was issued is indefensible.” 

“... The Commission does not have the authority to raise or waive the 39 percent national audience reach limitation. Simply put, the national audience reach limitation is a statutory requirement and only Congress has the authority to raise it.” 

Clear-cut. Simple. We cannot allow this debasement of the FCC's processes to continue. 

Mr. Speaker, I have a solution. Let's rein in this lawless agency through the appropriations process, and that's exactly what I intend to propose. 

I hope my colleagues will join me. 

I yield back. 

###