One of the most significant legislative actions I took this week was signing what’s called a discharge petition, for the bipartisan and Senate-passed national security supplemental. It’s a mechanism by which members of the House can force the Speaker to take action on a bill if the majority of Congress is in support. We do not have a moment to spare when it comes to passing this bill. Russia is on the verge of toppling Ukraine and moving on to the next sovereign nation to invade. The Israel-Hamas war is in its fifth month with Hamas still refusing to release hostages—including American citizens—and tens of thousands dead and children starving in Gaza. It’s horrendous. Our southern border is in chaos, and we are wasting millions of dollars a day on a propped-up enforcement system that does little to keep Americans safe. It’s a national security nightmare, an economic emergency, and a humanitarian crisis. The bill would provide much-needed aid to address each of these areas. We hope to have a sufficient number of signatures by the end of next week. We’re running out of time. The House goes into recess as we return to our districts for two weeks after March 22.

This was the final vote total for the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

Perhaps the most controversial bill on the floor this week was the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—a bill that would force TikTok to divest of Chinese ownership to continue operating in the U.S. It’s very important to note—this is not a ban, this was a bill about who gets to control the access to our data and influence our youth. 

A lot of people have been asking, doesn’t the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act violate the First Amendment? No. There’s no constitutional right to access a Chinese-owned social media platform. The bill doesn’t curtail speech because TikTok users are still free to speak out on other social media platforms—and on TikTok— as it continues under future U.S. ownership.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to require U.S. ownership of such an important information source and powerful company is that China does the same thing to us. Under Chinese law, any U.S. company that wants to operate in China must also be Chinese-owned. Our own data platforms, like Google, aren’t allowed to operate in mainland China.

Why aren’t we requiring the same of the Chinese companies in the U.S.? 

There certainly are lots of ways for China to get access to U.S. data—buy it, hack it, steal it– and we’re working on stopping that as well. But, just because there are potential workarounds all of that data over, for free, to an adversary of the United States? Why would we allow a foreign adversary to have such immense influence in terms of content pushing and algorithms on America’s youth—our most impressionable and those who are oftentimes not yet fully capable of discerning fact and fiction?

Others have made the argument that we shouldn’t ban it because we don’t have evidence that any TRULY bad actions have been taken against us—i.e. that our data has been used against us. But, just because we don’t have evidence of bad actions, doesn’t mean they aren’t being taken against Americans in ways yet to be seen. We do know that a foreign adversary is collecting billions of points of data on Americans, including our military, every day via TikTok. And we do already know that the Chinese government has used data collected on TikTok against its own journalists. And we saw just this week that TikTok used geolocation services to target all of its US users, wrongly informing them that Congress was trying to ban TikTok and put up a blockade preventing users from accessing the App until they called their member of Congress and told them not to vote for the ban. What’s next? Additionally—and this one is especially important to me as a mom of young kids—we don’t wait for the worst to happen before we act. We take responsible action to prevent an attack. 

I want to hear from you on this:

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In addition to this week’s votes, I introduced my new bipartisan bill with Rep. Rudy Yakym from Indiana, the Junior Duck Stamp Program Reauthorization Act! The Junior Duck Stamp Program is an art and science-based curriculum that teaches wetland and waterfowl conservation to students from kindergarten through high school and it is funded by the Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition for children.

Anyone who knows me and my family knows that getting outside in nature is core to who we are, and that’s exactly what the Junior Duck Stamp Program is all about – connecting kids to the environment and helping them learn how to preserve it for the future. Our bill will make sure that more kids can benefit from this program to help preserve our environment while unlocking their artistic skills.

I also cosponsored Rep. Slotkin’s bill, the Closing the Workforce Gap Act, which will make necessary tweaks to our immigration system– particularly, the H-2B visa program– to help bring vetted workers to the United States to fill widening seasonal work shortages. Those who love to visit Mackinac Island in the summer may not know that the tourism industry there is almost ENTIRELY powered by the workforce of our incredible seasonal workers who call the Island home each summer–adding so much to that community, and providing for their families back home in the process.

Showing Up with Action

I sat down with General Electric Aerospace’s Muskegon plant leadership team this week to talk about their work in West Michigan. They just received a $23.7 MILLION investment from GE to expand their operations! I’m looking forward to seeing their continued impact on our community, and I’m excited to join them for a ribbon-cutting ceremony later this year for the opening of their fourth building!

We had the pleasure of welcoming University of Michigan President Santo Ono in Washington this week! Thank you, President Ono, for your tireless efforts to support the next generation of Michigan leaders.

Cesar Chavez was a titan for labor rights and civil rights– dedicating his life to securing justice, dignity, and respect for our nation’s farm workers and ushering in a new era for workers across the country. It was an honor to join so many West Michiganders as we celebrated his life and legacy– and we didn’t let a little rain stop us from having a great time!

Right now, there are thousands of families across Kent County looking for childcare, but slots are scarce. Through the Fiscal Year 2024 Community Project Funding process, I'm so proud to have secured $1 million for United Methodist Community House to help them expand their childcare center! This week, I toured their facility and learned more about how they're working to connect more families with high-quality childcare.

I rounded out this week with a tour of the University of Michigan Health-West in Wyoming. I was able to see its cutting-edge imaging center and talk with providers about the impact that AI can have on improving early breast cancer detection and more. With healthcare as the driving force of our West Michigan economy, I am excited to show up as a tireless champion of the technology tools that help make West Michigan a leader in this space. All HAIL to the caregivers. Thanks for having me!

We’re still waiting on official word from House Republican leadership on the House floor schedule for next week, but it’ll be a huge week in committee for both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Small Business Committee. We have a full committee markup in T&I and we are hosting SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman in the Small Business Committee– who we’ve welcomed to West Michigan not once, but twice!

ICYMI

• I joined WUVS 103.7 The Beat to talk about the INCREDIBLE investments I secured for Muskegon and Muskegon Heights through the Community Project Funding process. Listen here!
• My office’s Fiscal Year 2025 Community Project Funding application portal is now open! This is an opportunity for organizations to submit a request for federal funding for projects that will help address urgent needs in our community. To learn more and apply, check out my website.
• I had a blast hosting East Kentwood’s own Matt Vriesman, the National History Teacher of the Year, at the State of the Union last week! He sat down with WZZM to talk about the trip. So excited he could join us, and thrilled he had a great time!

As always, it’s an honor to serve you, West Michigan.