Congressman Flood says White House ban of news outlets undermines press access

Congressman Flood said he did not agree with President Trump’s recent decision to bar three news outlets from White House access, calling the White House "the people's house" and saying the restricted organizations were "legitimate outlets" that should retain credentials and access.

"absolutely not. I that is the that is the people's house and and those outlets are legitimate outlets. Those outlets are credentialed. They have viewers. They have consumers. They have readers," Flood said, arguing the press pool should represent the broader media landscape and that the networks were right to respond by pausing coverage.

Asked about the White House's national-security rationale, Flood said he had no direct knowledge of such concerns and suggested that, if there were security issues, they could be addressed privately without interrupting presidential coverage. He framed open access as a democratic necessity: "Our democracy, our country, our states function better with an open government that is uh that has press that push back and and ask questions."

The discussion noted that the three barred outlets had taken the matter to federal court and that major networks temporarily suspended pool coverage in reaction to the White House action. No formal policy change or vote was recorded in this session; the dispute is proceeding through the courts.