Democratic senators are pushing back against the news that reporters will be barred from filming or recording audio of interviews in the Senate hallways without special permission, with many lawmakers noting that the restrictions come as the Senate considers high-profile courses of action on Russian election interference and an ObamaCare repeal bill.

Many Democratic senators tweeted about the crackdown on press access after reports of the new restrictions surfaced Tuesday.

Television reporters will now need permission from senators, the Senate Rules Committee, the Senate sergeant-at-arms or the Senate Radio and TV Gallery, depending on location, before conducting an on-camera interview with a senator anywhere in the Capitol or in the Senate office buildings, according to a Senate official familiar with the matter.

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A Senate Democratic aide said the decision to substantially curtail the access of television reporters was made unilaterally by Senate Rules Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).

The new rules come as Senate Republicans rush to finish an ObamaCare repeal bill, which Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Cruz blocks amended resolution honoring Ginsburg over language about her dying wish MORE (D-N.Y.) brought up in a tweet criticizing the rules.

Some Democratic senators said lawmakers shouldn't need to avoid the press, emphasizing the importance of free press.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE (D-Minn.) called for reporting at the Capitol to be allowed to "proceed as usual."

Other Democratic senators referenced the GOP's healthcare proposal, saying the GOP is trying to "hide" from its plan.

As ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee I call on the majority to allow reporting in the Capitol to proceed as usual. — Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) June 13, 2017

Senators shouldn't need to hide. We serve the people & they have a right to know what we are doing. https://t.co/HqGadvoQQu — Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) June 13, 2017

The new restrictions break years of precedent, which previously set that “videotaping and audio recording are permitted in the public areas of the House and Senate office buildings,” according to the Radio and TV Gallery website.

The new rules also provoked pushback from some GOP senators, with Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) calling them a "bad idea."