Department of Labor officials are being challenged by a key U.S. senator to explain their recent decision to force journalists covering unemployment and other sensitive economic news to use goverment computers and software.

“Does DOL believe that the new policy is consistent with the First Amendment? What precedents exist for forcing journalists to utilize government-owned systems and networks to report the news,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO, asked Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in a letter today.