| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by The Alzheimer's Association | With an assist from Daniella Diaz SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA — On different corners of Capitol Hill, committees will be digging into small slices of a big picture question that Congress is grappling with: what to do about China? This morning, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will welcome TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to grill him on Chinese government influence on the company and risks to American users’ data. Later tonight, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party will grapple with testimony from survivors, witnesses, experts and human rights advocates on the systematic repression and genocide of Uighur Muslims in China. The two hearings highlight the breadth of Congressional concerns on China. |  TikTok faces scrutiny in Congress. | Getty Images | TAKING ON TIKTOK — In just a few hours, Chew is set to appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where lawmakers are planning to ask about the Chinese company’s privacy and security and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have privately mused about the idea of banning the app in the United States, mostly because it's unclear how much information the Chinese government is obtaining from the Beijing-headquartered parent company ByteDance, about U.S. users and influence the Chinese government could have on TikTok’s algorithm. Last week the Biden administration demanded that the Chinese-owned company be sold, or the popular video app could face a ban in the U.S. Former President Donald Trump, of course, tried something similar but his efforts were halted by federal courts. But this latest push has progressives fired up against the idea of banning the app, with some, like Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), arguing that if the ban actually happens with Democrats leading the charge, it could lead to Democrats single-handedly losing the Gen-Z vote. Meanwhile, TikTok has launched an aggressive playbook of lobbying and influence in Washington including hiring a roster of former lawmakers and attempting to meet the dozens of members of the Energy and Commerce panel. The hearing is expected to last nearly five hours, give or take lawmaker statements and grandstanding. RELATED READS:TikTok is D.C.'s new boogeyman. Can Silicon Valley’s tactics save it?, from Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima at The Washington Post; Who Is Shou Zi Chew, the TikTok CEO Trying to Reassure America?, from Stu Woo at The Wall Street Journal; TikTok updates app rules ahead of CEO’s U.S. congressional hearing, from Kelvin Chan at The Associated Press; Opinion: Congress should target TikTok but not let US social media companies off the hook, from Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) in The Boston Globe FIRST IN HUDDLE: TURKEL TESTIMONY — Nury Turkel, the Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, is set to testify this evening, sharing both personal experience with the CCP, the realities of Uighur subjugation and his recommendations for Congress.
- “What I most want to draw to the Committee’s attention is that Congress has the power to disrupt this system of ‘total control.’ And it has the power to end American private-sector complicity. I urge this committee to champion the bills that are already lined up to disrupt the system and end complicity.”
- Turkel will name check nearly a dozen American companies he identifies as connected to Uighur forced labor, from home improvement and apparel brands to car companies and popular beverages.
- He’ll also warn lawmakers that the federal Thrift Savings Plan savings plan that they and their staff may be enrolled in could also have these ties. He will call for Congress to bar the TSP from offering investments in Chinese companies that are under U.S. human-rights sanctions or prohibited from importing into the U.S. under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Turkel will also address TikTok: “TikTok and WeChat have not only been actively complicit in the Uyghur genocide and associated acts of transnational repression and censorship, they have likewise been found to be data mining. Having seen what data collection has been utilized for in the Uyghur homeland, we should not ignore the further implications of failing to take action to protect our own citizens.”
Read Nury Turkel’s full written testimony, obtained exclusively by POLITICO. Chairman spotlight: Republicans’ best hope for Wisconsin Senate is a Trump critic, from Meredith Lee Hill
| | | | A message from The Alzheimer's Association: The Biden Administration has made the unprecedented decision to block access to FDA-approved treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s. Each day CMS denies access, more than 2,000 people transition to a more advanced stage of Alzheimer’s where they are no longer eligible for treatment. The role and responsibility of CMS is to provide health care coverage, not to stand between a patient and a doctor when deciding what FDA-approved treatments are appropriate. Learn more at http://alz.org/coverage. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, March 23, where we hope everyone celebrating Ramadan has an easy fast.
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wants the 2001 AUMF repealed, too. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | AUMF UPDATE — The Senate continues voting on amendments today to Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) resolution to repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq. Last night, lawmakers toppled by a 36-60 vote a proposal from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would narrow, instead of repeal, the 2002 authorization. The Senate also defeated a Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) proposal to add the 2001 AUMF that kicked off the war on terror after 9/11 to the repeal effort. That fell with a resounding 9-86 vote. Meanwhile… Anthony and Burgess dig into how foreign policy is, once again, dividing Republicans. The party has transformed from almost universally hawkish at the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to a deeply divided conference, with a strident non-interventionist wing confident they are aligned with voters exhausted by forever-wars. And the divide will be clear among 2024 contenders. FIRST IN HUDDLE — Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Border Security Subcommittee, has introduced an amendment to Republican’s “Parent’s Rights” legislation that would protect undocumented students and their families from having their immigration status shared at school. “My amendment is simple: if my Republican colleagues would like to protect the rights of our students and their parents, we must protect the rights of all of our students and families—especially our undocumented students, who are some of the most vulnerable members of our communities,” Correa said in a statement, a sign of what's to come from Democrats as they begin engaging with Republicans on culture wars. Read the amendment text for yourself.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | DELANEY GETS BOOST — Michael Delaney is facing an uncertain future for his First Circuit judicial nomination but he’s getting a boost from the top Democrat: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.). "I do support his nomination. I've looked over everything about him. I think he'd be an outstanding judge," Schumer said Wednesday afternoon. This comes after Delaney faces criticism, even from some Democrats, over his representation of a school in a sexual assault case. QUICK LINKS Sinema Trashes Dems: ‘Old Dudes Eating Jell-O’ from Jonathan Martin Fed forges ahead with new rate hike, undeterred by bank failures from Victoria Guida TRANSITIONS Alex Fox will be director of scheduling for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). She most recently was scheduler for Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
| | | | A message from The Alzheimer's Association:   | | |
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House convenes at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and will resume consideration of the resolution to repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force against Iraq. At 11:30 a.m. the Senate will vote on an amendment from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and additional votes are expected later in the day. AROUND THE HILL 9:30 a.m. House Appropriations Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the DOJ Office of the Inspector General. DOJ IG Michael Horowitz testifies. (Location TBD) 9:30 a.m. House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the GAO. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro testifies. (HT-2 Capitol) 10 a.m. House Armed Services Committee hearing on the U.S. military posture and national security challenges in the greater Middle East and Africa. (2118 Rayburn) 10 a.m. House Energy and Commerce hearing on “TikTok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy and Protect Children from Online Harms.” TikTok CEO Shou Chew testifies. (2123 Rayburn) 10 a.m. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the state of American diplomacy in 2023. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies. (210 HVC) 10 a.m. Senate Appropriations Transportation-HUD Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the Department of Transportation. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg testifies. (192 Dirksen) 10 a.m. Senate Finance Committee hearing on the president’s 2023 trade policy agenda. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testifies. (215 Dirksen) 10:30 a.m. House Appropriations Energy-Water Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the Department of Energy. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm testifies. (2362-B Rayburn) 11 a.m. House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the U.S. Capitol Police. USCP Chief J. Thomas Manger testifies. (HT-2 Capitol) 3 p.m. House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal 2024 budget request and economic outlook. Council of Economic Advisers Chair Cecila Rouse, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young testify. (2362-A Rayburn)
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| | | | A message from The Alzheimer's Association: The Biden Administration is continuing to block access to FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments. Despite the fact that Medicare has always covered FDA-approved treatments for those living with a disease, CMS has made the unprecedented decision to deny access to FDA-approved treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s. Each day CMS blocks access, more than 2,000 people transition to a more advanced stage of Alzheimer’s where they are no longer eligible for treatment. Each day matters to someone living with early stage Alzheimer's when it comes to slowing the progression of this disease. The Administration’s policy to block access to these treatments eliminates people’s options, resulting in continued irreversible disease progression and contributes to greater health inequities. The role and responsibility of CMS is to provide health care coverage, not to stand between a patient and a doctor when deciding what FDA-approved treatments are appropriate. This decision must be reversed. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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