Restoring American Freedom Act

The Restoring American Freedom Act would amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to prohibit Department of State employees and anyone receiving federal funds from the department (grants, contracts, or other funding) from censoring the free speech of U.S. citizens. It creates monitoring and enforcement obligations to prevent and address censorship, and it bars funding to entities that publish advertising blacklists or that create or distribute censorship tools without safeguards. The bill also defines key terms (advertising blacklist, censor, and free speech) and requires the Secretary of State to promptly notify Congress and the affected citizen if any employee or funding recipient is found to be censoring speech. The aim is to protect First Amendment rights in U.S. public diplomacy and related activities, while enhancing congressional oversight.