Jayapal Statement on “No” Vote on TikTok Legislation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement regarding her vote against H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The legislation today passed the House by a vote of 352-65.

“I voted no on this legislation. While I do have serious concerns about the national security implications of the Xi government’s ability to access Americans’ data through ByteDance, at the end of the day, the process of crafting this legislation was overly rushed and lacks important protections for consumers’ data.

“The bill provides an unworkable path to remove TikTok from ownership by a Chinese company, making it a de facto ban. This would harm users who rely on TikTok for their livelihoods, many of whom are people of color.

“We do need to craft legislation that addresses the underlying issues with censorship by ByteDance, algorithm-targeted content at children, and security concerns while preserving constitutionally-protected expression and protecting Americans privacy. 

“I will work to make sure any final bill addresses these critical issues.”

Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security, Science, Technology, & Antitrust