Idaho’s Congressional reps explain votes, procedure behind “Tik Tok Bill” H.R. 7521

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho's congressmen are explaining their votes on, as well as the mechanics of, H.R. 7521, widely referred to as a "Tik Tok ban."

"H.R. 7521 does not ban TikTok," Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher said. "It averts national security threats by blocking foreign adversaries from accessing American data."

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce explains "as long as TikTok divests from its parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), TikTok can continue to operate in the United States without interruption."

Fulcher voted in favor of H.R. 7521 Thursday.

“I voted to pass H.R. 7521 today to stop the Chinese Communist Party from manipulating, surveilling, and targeting American citizens," Fulcher said. "Apps such as TikTok give the Chinese Communist Party the ability to engage in psychological warfare against the American people. Due to the algorithms at play, the CCP can feed users whatever information they please, truthful or not."

Congressman Mike Simpson was listed as "Not Voting." Local News 8 reached out to his office for more information and discovered Representative Simpson was out Thursday for a previously scheduled medical procedure.

"Mr. Simpson is in good health and high spirits," said Lexi Hamel, Communication Director for Rep. Simpson's office. "He is pleased to see the bipartisan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act pass the House—a bill he would have supported on the floor."