"Give Government Data" US Republicans Intensify Pressure on Chinese Platform TikTok

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Starting January next year, the Republican Party, which will lead the U.S. House of Representatives, is increasing pressure on the Biden administration by requesting materials related to the Chinese video-sharing platform 'TikTok,' amid growing concerns over security threats, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 20th (local time).

According to the report, senior Republican lawmakers Michael McCaul and Mike Rogers, who will serve as standing committee chairs in the next House, have requested materials on TikTok from the Treasury Department, State Department, Department of Defense, and Department of Commerce. McCaul, representing Texas, and Rogers, representing Alaska, are expected to become the chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee, respectively, in the next House starting January.

They pointed out security threats related to TikTok and requested that the progress of negotiations between the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment (CFI) and TikTok, as well as evaluations by the Biden administration, be shared with Congress. They indicated that they would not "tolerate" these concerns being ignored and suggested that security threat issues surrounding TikTok would be prioritized at the House level going forward.

The U.S. Congress views TikTok as a serious security threat, concerned that it could share information about American users with the Chinese government. WSJ previously reported that TikTok reached some provisional agreements after more than a year and a half of negotiations with the Biden administration, including storing U.S. user data on Oracle servers, a U.S. company, but the administration, including the Department of Justice, still considers security concerns unresolved.

Recently, Republican House Representative Mike Gallagher and Senator Marco Rubio expressed intentions to introduce legislation banning TikTok's operations in the U.S. Gallagher is also the chairman of the House China Task Force, created under the leadership of Kevin McCarthy, the likely next House Speaker and Republican floor leader, to strengthen checks on China.

Meanwhile, bipartisan U.S. leadership agreed on the 2023 fiscal year budget on the day when only three days remained before the budget deadline. The total budget amounts to $1.7 trillion, including a defense budget of $858 billion. In addition to $44.9 billion for military support to Ukraine, the budget includes provisions banning TikTok use on government devices and extending some healthcare coverage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.