U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) issued a statement following reports of millions of Americans contacting members of Congress to prevent them from banning TikTok. Gallagher continues to advocate for ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to sever ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as it persistently targets Americans.
"Today, we are seeing why the Chinese Communist Party is so desperate to hang onto TikTok, because of its ability to target Americans and promote CCP propaganda," said Congressman Mike Gallagher, Congressman. "TikTok is falsely labeling our bipartisan legislation as a ‘total ban' of TikTok, thinking they can trick their users into unwittingly assisting their propaganda campaign. This is my message to TikTok: break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users."
Gallagher, who chairs the select committee on the CCP, released a statement after TikTok encouraged millions of users via a "pop-up" on its app to reach out to their representatives on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The users were urged to oppose the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act that was introduced last week. Gallagher responded to this urgent pop-up message and alerted lawmakers in order to further emphasize the CCP's plan to use TikTok and its capabilities to infringe upon Americans' privacy and data.
Before TikTok issued this mass "pop-up" ad, Gallagher and U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) released a statement on the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This act prohibits app store availability or web hosting in the U.S. for entities controlled by ByteDance, including TikTok, until it ends its relationship with the CCP.
According to his website, Gallagher has represented Wisconsin’s 8th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since his election in 2017. Prior to his political career, Gallagher served active duty in the United States Marine Corps for seven years, achieving the rank of Captain. In addition to his military service, he worked as the lead Republican staffer for Middle East and Counterterrorism on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
