Rep. Walter Jones has introduced language to curb federal employees’ apparent use of pornography on government equipment.
The North Carolina Republican wants to “block feds from surfing porn on taxpayer dime,” according to a news release.
In a letter to House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers, R-Ky., Jones called for formal language “to be included in all future appropriations bills ensuring that computer networks in federal agencies block the viewing, downloading, and exchanging of pornography.”
Such language already applies to funding for many government divisions, like the State Department, but is not uniformly applied, according to Jones.
“We are deeply troubled that it was not included for all the federal government,” Jones writes.
He noted the prohibition does not cover Environmental Protection Agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Interior Department which have been the subject of media stories about their employees viewing pornography in the office.
Jones was joined in signing the letter by Reps. Mark Meadows, Cynthia Lummis, Paul Gosar, Ted Yoho, and John Duncan, all Republicans.
Since the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, regular reports have found that some federal employees, like those in other industries, often view pornography at work, resulting in regular news coverage and scolding by lawmakers.
