Press win — Freedom of the Press Foundation: Congressional threats to BreakThrough News are unconstitutional harassment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York, Oct. 19, 2026 — A coalition of press freedom organizations is demanding that the House Ways and Means Committee drop its threat to serially subpoena staffers at BreakThrough News. The committee wants BreakThrough News employees to testify before Congress unless the outlet drops its First Amendment and other objections to the committee’s prior subpoenas and document demands by tomorrow. The committee has claimed its prior correspondence was in furtherance of a tax-related probe into one of BreakThrough’s donors. But the committee and its chairman, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., have accused the outlet of “anti-American rhetoric” and “messaging that mirrors hostile government propaganda.” It is citing BreakThrough’s criticisms of immigration enforcement actions an…