The House passed a bill that could ban TikTok in a 352-65 vote Thursday, putting the spotlight on the Senate on how to handle the controversial legislation that has support from President Biden. The legislation, dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was introduced March 5 by Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Two days later, House members on the Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to approve the bill, which refers to TikTok as a threat to national security because it is controlled by a foreign adversary. The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces an uncertain future as senators appear divided about the legislation, and other federal and state-led efforts to ban TikTok have stalled.
TikTok has risen in popularity quickly, especially among younger users, with its short video format and viral challenges. However, concerns about privacy and data security have plagued the app since its inception. The idea that user data could potentially be accessed by the Chinese government has led to calls for action to be taken against TikTok in the United States.
The legislation passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is a step in that direction. By forcing ByteDance to sell its ownership of TikTok or face a ban in the US, the bill aims to protect American users’ data and privacy. While TikTok has denied any wrongdoing, the potential risks associated with a foreign-owned app having access to user data are too great to ignore.
If this bill does indeed make it to President Biden’s desk and is signed into law, it could have a significant impact on the app’s future in the US. TikTok would either have to comply with the new regulations or face being banned from the country altogether.
Congressional leaders on Sunday unveiled the long-awaited bipartisan bills to fund parts of the government for the rest of fiscal year 2024, setting off a sprint to avert the looming shutdown threat in less than a week. The six spending bills fund a slew of agencies until early fall, including the departments of Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Justice, Commerce and Energy.
The Hill reports the 1,050-page package includes more than $450 billion in funding for fiscal year 2024. Lawmakers have until Friday to pass the legislation or risk a partial government shutdown under a stopgap plan President Biden signed into law this week to buy more time for spending talks. The Sunday rollout comes as Congress is behind in finishing up its funding work for fiscal 2024, which began five months ago. said Sunday that both sides were able to reach a funding compromise that will keep “the government open without cuts or poison pill riders.”
However, Republicans are already claiming wins, touting cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the funding package. The GOP-led House and Democrat-led Senate entered negotiations with vastly different bills this year, as House Republicans pursued much more partisan measures with steep cuts to government funding that went beyond budget caps agreed to as part of the debt limit deal brokered last year.
In a powerful moment during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Senator Josh Hawley questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the harmful effects of his platform on young users. Hawley specifically asked Zuckerberg about the alarming statistics that showed 37% of teenage girls between 13 and 15 were exposed to unwanted nudity on Instagram in a week. He demanded to know who had been fired and if any compensation had been provided to the victims.
Zuckerberg seemed reluctant to answer these questions, stating that he didn’t think it was appropriate to discuss internal decisions or compensation. Hawley continued to press him, highlighting the families of victims who were present at the hearing and deserved answers. He accused Zuckerberg of not taking any significant action to address these issues and failing to apologize to the victims. Hawley asked if Zuckerberg would take personal responsibility and set up a victims’ compensation fund using his own money, to which Zuckerberg provided evasive responses.
The hearing then shifted to a discussion about TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Hawley accused TikTok of surveilling Americans and giving access to user data to the Chinese Communist Party. He demanded to know why the platform should not be banned in the United States.
Zuckerberg denied Hawley’s claims, stating that they were not accurate and that TikTok had made progress in protecting data. However, Hawley presented evidence from The Wall Street Journal that showed TikTok employees in China still had access to private information of American citizens, including birth dates and IP addresses.
Hawley concluded by asserting that TikTok should be banned in the United States due to concerns about the security of American citizens’ data being in the hands of a foreign government. The hearing was a poignant and impactful moment, with Senator Hawley holding Zuckerberg and ByteDance accountable for the harmful effects and potential security risks associated with their platforms.
Overall, this hearing shed light on the challenges and concerns surrounding social media platforms and the need for stricter regulations to protect users’ safety and privacy. It remains to be seen how the findings of this hearing will impact the future of Facebook, TikTok, and online platforms in general.
Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski Jr. is officially running for Congress.
Olszewski is running for Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District and has listed his past as a public school teacher, along with being a legislator and current county executive, as reasons to continue to serve the community.
In a video regarding the announcement, Olszewski said, “It’s time for Washington to have a new generation of leaders, leaders who will fight back against those who would destroy our democracy.”
“Together, we have modernized Baltimore County’s government, made historic investments in our schools, roads, parks, and beyond, and tackled issues like gun safety, police reform, and attainable housing. I’m running for Congress so that we can help do the same in D.C.,” Olszewski said. “It’s time for a new generation of leaders in Washington who will defend our democracy, ensure Maryland remains a beacon of hope for women and choice, act with urgency to combat climate change and work to lower costs for our families. We can do all this — and more — just as we’ve always done: together.”
Olszewski served nine years in the House of Delegates and is a former public school teacher. Originally from Dundalk, he is a Sparrows Point High School alumni. He and his wife, Marisa, have a 7-year-old daughter.
House Republicans took a significant step forward Sunday in their effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by formalizing their allegations ahead of a committee vote. Republicans allege in the first impeachment article that Mayorkas displayed a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law,” while the second article argues that he breached public trust by having “knowingly made false statements, and knowingly obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.” “These articles lay out a clear, compelling, and irrefutable case for Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment,” said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., in a statement.
Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance Wednesday on Capitol Hill, defiantly walking into a House committee hearing centered on whether to hold him in contempt.
The move sparked outrage from Republicans, who’ve issued a congressional subpoena for him to sit for a closed-door deposition in their ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The president’s son has said he would testify only in a public forum, and previously castigated the probe as “illegitimate.”
His arrival plunged the proceeding into chaos.
“You’re the epitome of white privilege, coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed. What are you afraid of?” Republican Rep. Nancy Mace said just after he entered the room. She went on to say the younger Biden should be arrested and go “straight to jail.”
