Highlights from Chair Rodgers on CNBC, Fox News, and NewsNation

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) joined CNBC, Fox News, and NewsNation to highlight the dangers of applications controlled by foreign adversaries, like CCP-controlled TikTok, and the need to pass H.R. 7521.

H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, is bipartisan legislation that will protect Americans by preventing foreign adversaries, like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), from targeting, surveilling, and manipulating the American people through applications, like TikTok.

We have given TikTok a clear choice through this legislation: Divest from your parent company ByteDance—which is beholden to the CCP—and remain operational in the U.S., OR side with the Chinese Communist Party and face a ban. The choice is theirs.

Here are highlights and top moments from Chair Rodgers’ interviews: 

Chair Rodgers on CNBC's Squawk Box:

On Wide-Ranging Support for the Bill:

“The vote in committee—the unanimous 50-0 vote in committee—underscores the national security concerns related to apps that are controlled by foreign adversaries, including TikTok.  

“Foreign adversaries using apps to collect, to manipulate, and to surveil on Americans through the data that they are collecting. [...] We're moving quickly on the Floor because of the national security threat posed by these apps.

“This [bill] is not a ban. This would be a choice for TikTok, whether or not it remains controlled by the CCP through ByteDance or if it decides to divest and to continue to be operational in the United States of America, but it is their choice.”

On TikTok Lying About Its Relationship with the CCP:

“TikTok has repeatedly been caught in this lie that it is not controlled by the Chinese Communist Party through ByteDance.

“We know from internal recordings from employees that are saying 'everything is seen by China.' This is the way that China operates. [...] They surveil on their own citizens, and they cannot be trusted to safeguard American data or to protect our American values like freedom.”

On TikTok Claiming They Aren’t Manipulating Americans:

“Just because they say [they aren’t manipulating Americans] doesn't make it true—they're collecting massive amounts of data. There are 177 million [American] users on TikTok."

[...]

“When we were in the middle of our hearing and markup [...] users on TikTok were blocked from being able to get on to the app until they called their representative and told them to not support this legislation. That was one real time example of how they can manipulate Americans for their own purposes. […] It was clear that [TikTok was] able to weaponize their tool to motivate a lot of people to call. Many offices were saying that it was more calls than they had ever received, but it just underscores how this can be used for their own purposes.”

On Getting H.R. 7521 Across the Finish Line:

“Our goal is to get this legislation onto the President's desk. I was having conversations with Senators on the House Floor while we were watching the State of the Union related to how they also want to engage on this legislation because of the serious concern. [...] I’m very hopeful that we are going to get a bill on the President's desk ultimately.

“We’ve also been working with the White House. The White House has given a lot of technical assistance. [...] We want to make sure that we are focused on the national security threat that an application poses when it is collecting this data on Americans but is ultimately controlled by a foreign adversary.”

Chair Rodgers on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom:

“We know that [TikTok is] collecting an enormous amount of data and that they are manipulating and using it. That’s how they operate in China. They surveil their own citizens and we cannot trust them.”

Chair Rodgers on NewsNation’s Morning in America:

On the Dangers of the CCP using TikTok to Surveil Americans:

“We're talking about American user data. [...] This would be your location data. This would be your search history—and even if you don't have TikTok on your phone—it doesn't mean that they aren’t accessing your data.

“We know that this is how the Chinese Communist Party treats their own citizens. [...] They cannot be trusted to safeguard our data or uphold our American values. This is legislation that is very targeted against foreign adversaries, like China, to protect Americans.

“TikTok has said that this is a ban, but it really is their choice as to whether or not they divest from ByteDance, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, or if they decide to operate separately in the United States and do it under our laws.”

Chair Rodgers on CNBC’s Fast Money:

“This bill is focusing on national security threats that are owned and controlled by a foreign adversary. It does not get into the content that's on that application.”