Lawmakers Intensify Scrutiny Of Google Content

CEO Sundar Pichai

Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Republican Representative Jim Jordan are intensifying scrutiny on Alphabet, Google’s parent company, over allegations of censoring conservative content on its platforms, particularly Google Search and YouTube. 

Their campaign follows Meta’s recent policy shift away from fact-checking and content moderation, which Cruz and Jordan view as a model for Google to emulate. 

Cruz, as Senate Commerce Committee Chair, met with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in March, warning that Google’s content policies must change to avoid congressional action, including potential hearings or legislation. Jordan, leading the House Judiciary Committee, issued a subpoena to Alphabet in February 2025, demanding internal communications related to content moderation and alleged collusion with the Biden administration to suppress free speech.

Both lawmakers frame their efforts as a defense of free speech, accusing Google of throttling conservative voices. 

Cruz has called Google his “primary target” among tech platforms, citing its dominance in search and YouTube’s influence. Jordan’s subpoenas also target other tech firms like Rumble, TikTok, and Apple, but Alphabet is a focal point due to YouTube’s alleged censorship of conservative political speech. Their pressure builds on years of investigations, with Cruz questioning Google’s practices since 2019 and Jordan probing tech censorship since 2023.

Google denies these allegations, with spokesperson Jose Castaneda emphasizing the company’s commitment to free expression and stating that Google does not use fact-checking to downrank content, unlike social media platforms.