Filing a bill just means proposing it. Doesn’t even mean it gets to the floor for a vote. No way that the US Congress repeals section 230.
This story is misleading because he talks as if filing a bill is of great consequence when in reality it does nothing. If you are a legislator you can file a bill by dropping it into a hopper.
It only does something if it goes all through to the floor and then is voted on, both houses vote on the same thing, it survives a filibuster in the Senate and the president signs it.
There’s only one week left of working time in this legislative session and a bill filed today is unlikely to even reach the floor for a vote if that is what he means. If it is one of those 18 bills it has a slightly better chance of reaching the floor for a vote but not a great chance at this late stage. Never mind go through the process of reconciling with Senate and passing in house and passing filibuster in Senate etc.
Also remember that Congress can reverse a bad bill in a single day.
Not going to happen but just to show how it works.
Suppose that just before Christmas Congress passed this bill.
Facebook and X both say
“Wait a minute, do you realize what you just did, this means we have to shut down operations in the US and operate from Europe instead”.
Congress says variations on
“Oops didn’t mean to do that”
Then the Christmas break is postponed for one day for Congress to reverse the bill before Christmas.
Clerks make up the bill to reverse it (only a few words)
House votes on it in the morning.
Senate votes on it in the afternoon
(or the other way around)
Trump signs it in the evening
And all the legislators sigh a sigh of relief and get on their planes home delayed by one day.
This little story is fictional and won’t happen.
But it may help you feel safe from Congress accidentally shutting down Facebook and X in the USA.
