Pallone Remarks in Support of 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act
The Legislative Package Includes Two Key Provisions Championed by the Energy and Commerce Committee to Incentivize Divestment of TikTok from CCP Control and to Prohibit Data Brokers from Selling Americans' Sensitive Information to Our Foreign Adversaries
Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr.'s (D-NJ) remarks as prepared for delivery on the House floor today in support of H.R. 8038, the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act, are enclosed below:
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8038.
National security experts are sounding the alarm, warning that our foreign adversaries are using every tool at their disposal, including apps like TikTok, to amass troves of sensitive data on all Americans. Information that we know can be weaponized to launch sophisticated influence campaigns, conduct espionage, undermine Americans’ privacy expectations, and otherwise impair our nation’s interests.
This bill takes decisive action to mitigate our foreign adversaries’ ability to collect Americans’ data and use it against us.
First, it creates a framework intended to force divestment of TikTok from its Chinese Communist Party-controlled parent company ByteDance. This would ensure Americans can continue to use the platform without the risk that it is being operated and controlled by Beijing party officials. The laws in China allow the CCP to compel companies, like TikTok, to share data with them whether the companies want to or not. We simply cannot allow this to continue.
Second this bill includes my bipartisan “Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act." This bill prohibits data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive personal information to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, as well as to entities controlled by those countries.
Most Americans are unaware that data brokers compile dossiers about their interests, beliefs, actions, and movements. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has concluded that commercially available data provides foreign adversaries with a valuable stream of intelligence, rivaling the effectiveness of sophisticated surveillance techniques. This bill closes down another avenue used by foreign adversaries to surveil Americans and undermine our interests.
I would like thank my partner in this effort, Chair Rodgers, for her tireless work to advance these important provisions.
Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Thank you, and I yield back.
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