Time is up for TikTok

Make no mistake about it, TikTok is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda machine living rent-free on the devices of 150 million Americans, and it’s putting our national security in jeopardy. This insidious app collects your data, surveils behavior, monitors user habits, and negatively influences our youth with an endless stream of addictive content.

The evidence is piling up and exposing TikTok for what it is: a dangerous platform China has weaponized against Americans. Last year, I called the app an extension of the CCP; and, I supported a ban on TikTok on all federal devices. In December 2022, Governor Reynolds rightly took action to scrub TikTok from all state devices and prohibit state agencies from subscribing to or owning a TikTok account.

While government devices are finally prohibited from housing the CCP platform, entities receiving your tax dollars are still partnering with the company. That’s right, folks, federally-funded airports, train stations, universities, and other government-backed entities are still working with TikTok. It’s time to put an end to it.

To help curtail this threat to national security and our children’s privacy, I introduced the No Funds for Enablers of Adversarial Propaganda Act, a bill to deny federal funds to any individual or entity with an agreement, partnership, or advertising relationship with TikTok. The buck stops when you knowingly enable the communist regime.

We must ensure that American taxpayers aren’t forced to fund organizations enabling the expansion of the CCP and its toxic platform. I’ll continue fighting to protect our families and ensure their hard-earned money isn’t funding those who enable our adversaries.

Joni Ernst, a native of Red Oak and a combat veteran, represents Iowa in the United States Senate.