Congressman Schrader today released the following statement after announcing his opposition to H.R. 3261, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

"There is no argument that existing laws meant to protect American jobs and consumers from illegal Internet activities are outdated and insufficient, but SOPA threatens our society's right to freedom of speech, information and due process. When writing new laws for the Internet we must be extremely cautious in how we balance promoting legitimate commerce while protecting the Internet's greater function, the free and global exchange of ideas. I welcome the upcoming discussions on how to best protect millions of American jobs while ensuring that any such efforts do not infringe upon our basic rights and the functioning of the Internet."