U.S. senator Amy Klobuchar is pushing back against Google and Meta, calling for a new American law which would force the online tech giants to pay news publishers for using their stories.

She also says political leaders must stand firm, in response to pressure tactics such as threats to block links to Canadian news stories.

The U.S. legislation is similar to Canada’s Online News Act, which MPs approved last month and is scheduled to take effect within six months after drafting of regulatory details.

Klobuchar tells the Globe and Mail, “Of course monopolies will fight us every step of the way,” but we won’t back down – we must stand up for small businesses and competition while ensuring people have access to their local news.”

Ariel Pollock is a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Ottawa. She says Washington is monitoring the Canadian debate to assess its potential impact south of the border.

“We are continuing to watch developments around the implementation of Bill C-18 and encourage Canada to consider U.S. stakeholder input as it implements this bill,” she said in an e-mail Monday.

Google announced on June 29th that it intends to block Canadian news on its platform. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says talks continue to ensure this does not happen.