On Tuesday, Congress in Washington will hold a high-stakes hearing that goes far beyond Hollywood – it’s about American jobs, which controls our media and American national security. If Ronald Reagan were alive today, he would urge every American to keep a close eye on this hearing. Reagan understood that culture, storytelling, and media are powerful weapons in the battle for ideas—and that foreign adversaries use them to weaken free societies from within.
Lawmakers are weighing whether American companies like Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery are allowed to compete and grow – or government action will weaken them at a time when foreign powers are aggressively using media and culture to influence the world.
This is important for everyday Americans because media is no longer just entertainment. It shapes public opinion, exports American values and serves as a counterbalance to authoritarian propaganda. When American companies are weakened, foreign governments – especially China – fill the void.
Decisions made Tuesday on Capitol Hill will help determine whether American storytelling remains independent and secure, or whether foreign influence gains even more traction within one of America’s most powerful strategic assets.
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Central to this debate is the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. This should not be viewed as just another business deal. It has direct consequences for American employment, American film production, and America’s ability to compete in a global information war.
For more than a century, American films and television have promoted our values around the world: freedom, creativity and open expression. That cultural influence has been one of America’s greatest strategic advantages. Today it is critically endangered.
The entertainment industry supports hundreds of thousands of high-paying American jobs: writers, actors, camera crews, editors, visual effects artists, set designers, marketers and engineers. These are middle-class jobs spread across states like California, Georgia, New Mexico, Texas and New Jersey.
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And this is not theoretical.
Netflix recently committed $1 billion to build a new production studio at the former Fort Monmouth Army base in New Jersey, a project expected to create more than 5,000 high-paying American jobs. That investment transforms a former military base into an engine of American manufacturing, innovation and employment – and that only happens when companies have the scale and stability to invest for the long term.
However, streaming is capital intensive. When companies are weakened or fragmented, production slows, opportunities shrink and layoffs follow. Scale brings stability. Stability protects – and creates – jobs.
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A combined Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery would create a stronger, more resilient American company that can consistently invest in American manufacturing. That means more projects here at home and more investments like Fort Monmouth, not less.
However, Hollywood is more than an industry. It is a strategic national asset.
American films and television reach more people worldwide than any government program or diplomatic initiative. They shape how the world views the United States and serve as a powerful counterbalance to authoritarian propaganda.
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China understands this – which is why it tightly controls the media at home and invests heavily in state-backed platforms abroad.
And we have already seen how that censorship works.
Consider “Top Gun: Maverick.” The film was a huge worldwide success. Yet China refused to show the film in its theaters.
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Why?
Because of a small patch on Tom Cruise’s leather flight jacket with the Taiwan flag.
No violence. No offensive content. A jacket patch.
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That one symbol was enough for Beijing to block the film completely. The message was unmistakable: access to the Chinese market requires political compliance and self-censorship.
The Netflix logo on one of their buildings in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, December 2, 2025. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
Ronald Reagan understood this struggle long before streaming existed. He knew that movies, television, and storytelling were powerful tools in the battle for ideas—and that foreign or communist influence on the American media was a real threat. As Reagan warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Protecting America’s cultural leadership became a cornerstone of his presidency.
That lesson is more important now than ever.
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There are also serious concerns about foreign money entering the US media ecosystem – and the national security risks that come with it.
Some competing proposals involving older studios would narrow the field from five major studios to four, concentrating more power in fewer hands and driving up costs for families who want to watch a movie alone at home. That kind of consolidation reduces competition, limits choice and historically leads to layoffs – not innovation.
Even more troubling, some proposed takeovers are reportedly backed by $24 billion from foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
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I am certainly not in favor of excessive regulation. But we have laws on the books for a reason: to protect the American market and the American people from foreign manipulation.
Let’s be clear: $24 billion from the Middle East is not philanthropy.
In today’s world, influence is power. When American content is weakened, something else fills the void — and increasingly, that content is shaped or sanctioned by authoritarian governments.
Foreign governments don’t invest billions in American media for fun. They do it to exert influence, influence stories and shape what people see and hear. That is a direct national security problem.
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In today’s world, influence is power. When American content is weakened, something else fills the void — and increasingly, that content is shaped or sanctioned by authoritarian governments.
That is not just an economic issue. It’s a matter of national security.
To be clear, I have been openly critical of Netflix in the past, especially when it comes to some of its woke and radical programming decisions. I have not hesitated to say these publicly, and I will not stop.
I also do not own shares in Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery or one of the companies discussed here.
My position isn’t about defending a company – it’s about defending American workers, American creativity, and America’s strategic interests at a time when cultural influence and national security are inextricably linked.
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The merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t eliminate the competition. The streaming market remains busy and fiercely competitive. This deal simply allows an American company to compete on a massive scale with Big Tech and state-backed foreign players.
Ronald Reagan knew that cultural influence was national power. That truth has not changed.
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In a global competitive battle where China and other foreign powers use culture as leverage, America cannot afford to weaken one of its most powerful tools.
This merger strengthens it.
