REPORT: Melania Trump’s bill that only two members voted against heads to president’s desk

April 29, 2025

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From Fox News: The House on Monday overwhelmingly passed a bill backed by first lady Melania Trump that cracks down on the posting of explicit images, including “deep fake” nudes generated of people by artificial intelligence, without consent.

The Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks – known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act – was approved by a 409-2 vote and now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The measure “generally prohibits the nonconsensual online publication of intimate visual depictions of individuals, both authentic and computer-generated, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence,” according to the bill summary.

It specifically prohibits online publication of “intimate visual depictions” of an adult subject “where publication is intended to cause or does cause harm to the subject, and where the depiction was published without the subject’s consent or, in the case of an authentic depiction, was created or obtained under circumstances where the adult had a reasonable expectation of privacy,” as well as “a minor subject where publication is intended to abuse or harass the minor or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.”

The TAKE IT DOWN Act also requires social media platforms to set up a system allowing victims of revenge porn to notify them of images online, which the platforms must then take down within 48 hours.

The bill passed in the House 409-2. The two congress members who voted against it were both Republicans: Rep. Eric Burlison (Mo.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.).

Also, 22 congress members did not vote: 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who introduced the bill in the Senate, announced:

The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse. This victory belongs first and foremost to the heroic survivors who shared their stories and the advocates who never gave up.

By requiring social media companies to take down this abusive content quickly, we are sparing victims from repeated trauma and holding predators accountable. This day would not have been possible without the courage and perseverance of Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Breeze Liu, and Brandon Guffey, whose powerful voices drove this legislation forward.

I am especially grateful to my colleagues—including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Maria Salazar, Rep. Madeleine Dean, First Lady Melania Trump, and House Leadership—for locking arms in this critical mission to protect Americans from online exploitation.

The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse.

This victory belongs first and foremost to the heroic survivors who shared their stories and the advocates who never gave up.

By requiring social media…

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 28, 2025

In another post, along with an interview video, Cruz added:

My bill, the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act, just passed the House with near-unanimous consensus.This landmark legislation will be sent to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act protects all Americans from AI-generated nonconsensual imagery and requires social media companies and websites to remove such content within 48 hours upon request.

My bill, the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act, just passed the House with near-unanimous consensus.

This landmark legislation will be sent to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act protects all Americans from AI-generated nonconsensual imagery and… pic.twitter.com/Gxl5cx8is9

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 29, 2025