# What This Senate Resolution Is Actually About

This is a Senate resolution criticizing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr for threatening to punish ABC and Disney because of jokes made by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. In September 2025, Carr apparently suggested the FCC might take action against these companies based on Kimmel's political commentary on his show. The Senate is saying this threat was both dangerous and unconstitutional.

To understand why this matters, you need to know what the FCC actually does. The FCC is a government agency that regulates television, radio, and internet communications. It has real power—it can fine broadcasters, refuse to renew their licenses, or take other enforcement actions. The concern here is that Carr was using (or threatening to use) this government power to punish a media company for allowing political speech on one of its shows. That's the constitutional problem. The First Amendment protects free speech, including political commentary, even when it's critical of government officials or their policies.

This resolution doesn't actually change any laws or impose any penalties. It's basically the Senate saying "we think this was wrong." It's a statement of disapproval. However, it does matter symbolically—it puts pressure on the FCC chairman and signals that Congress believes using regulatory power to punish political speech crosses a serious line. For ordinary people, this touches on a fundamental question: should government agencies be able to threaten companies with punishment just because they don't like what's being said on their platforms?

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the comments made by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, threatening to penalize ABC and Disney for the political commentary of ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel were dangerous and unconstitutional.