Speaker Emerita Pelosi Floor Speech on Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks during debate on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.R. 7521 – Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.  Speaker Emerita Pelosi emphasized that the legislation is an important step for America’s national security and national values.

Watch Speaker Emerita Pelosi's remarks here.

Read Speaker Emerita Pelosi's remarks below:

Speaker Emerita Pelosi.  Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.  I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this very important issue.  And I thank the distinguished Chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I associate myself with her remarks as well as with Mr. Pallone's.  I thank Mr. Krishnamoorthi and Mr. Gallagher, Chairman Gallagher, of the Select Committee on China for their great leadership, bringing this legislation forward to the Committee of jurisdiction, legislative jurisdiction. 

I have a few points to make.  And it's interesting to hear this respectful debate.  First of all, this is not a ban on TikTok.  I'm a grandmother of teenagers.  I understand the entertainment value, the educational value, communication value, the business value for some business on this. 

This is not an attempt to ban TikTok.  It's an attempt to make TikTok better.  Tic-tac-toe, a winner.  A winner.

And here's what I have to say: the people of China have come forth.  The Tibetans have come forth and said on TikTok in China they are suppressed.  They cannot put their message out.  Not only that, the Chinese government misrepresents the situation in Tibet. 

In Hong Kong – well, let me just tell you about Hong Kong.  During the Taiwan election, TikTok, TikTok-ed into Taiwan that the Uyghurs, on whom there is a genocide exercised by the Chinese government – they have told the people in Taiwan that the Uyghurs like that genocide.  And they told them that the people of Hong Kong like the destruction of their democracy.  They don't frame it that way, but that's their message.  And again, suppressing the communication from Tibet. 

And then, just yesterday on the steps, we heard from the Taiwan people, we heard from the Tibetans, we heard from the Hong Kong [people], and we heard from a woman whose husband was arrested because of his communication with somebody with a shared view.

So, this is controlled by the Chinese communist government.  But forgetting that, if you can – I can't – think of this: the algorithm.  The Chinese government will control the algorithm.  They can change it anytime, coming into the United States. 

I urge a 'yes' vote.