Hello Friend,

Welcome to my e-newsletter, the Ready Room. As a retired Naval Aviator, the Ready Room is special to me because it’s where fellow aviators meet to brief and debrief missions. This is my weekly briefing to you on my mission in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for regular updates on how my team and I are working to serve you in Congress.

MYTH vs FACT: THE TIKTOK FRENZY

The Communist Chinese Party (CCP) is targeting, surveilling and manipulating Americans through TikTok. This is a MAJOR national security threat. To address this, last week, I voted for H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. There is a great deal of misinformation on what the bill does. Below, I clear up some misconceptions: 

MYTH: H.R. 7521 would ban TikTok. 

FACT: H.R. 7521 requires TikTok to divest from its parent company ByteDance within 180 days to remain available in the U.S.

MYTH: TikTok is not compromised by the CCP.

FACT: The CCP has vast control over all China-based companies, including TikTok. Officials from TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, disclosed the CCP has access to sensitive data from 150 million users in the United States. This data is used to target, surveil and influence Americans and suppress anti-CCP perspectives.

This critical bill passed the House with broad, bipartisan support by a vote of 352-65. I urge quick Senate action.

BRING BUREAUCRATS BACK TO WORK

Federal law allows federal employees to participate in union activities on "official time." Unfortunately, these activities can often directly contradict the interests of the American taxpayer. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) used to publish annual reports detailing the cost of “taxpayer-funded union time.” However, the Biden Administration's OPM stopped publishing reports and removed years of information from public access. As a Floridian, I believe taxpayers deserve transparency. 

I introduced H.R.7692, the Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act to ensure the Biden Administration provides a full account of how much taxpayer dollars are going towards union activities. For more information, click here.

HELP WITH SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

Are you having trouble with your Social Security benefits? My office can help with this, or other federal agency issues. If you are having problems with your passport, the IRS, the VA, Social Security or another federal agency, we can help! Click here to learn more.

Test Your Knowledge #CivicsWithScott!

Which service is performed by local government?

A. Delivering mail
B. Granting teacher certificates
C. Minting quarters
D. Providing fire protection

Last Week's Question

What is the term for a type of government in which one person possesses unlimited power?

A. Republic
B. Oligarchy
C. Democracy
D. Autocracy - Correct answer

It is an honor and privilege to represent you in Congress. Please take a moment to fill out my latest constituent survey here. Your feedback helps me better represent you. For more information on constituent services, current legislation, and to sign up for my e-newsletter, please visit my website at franklin.house.gov. 

Best regards,

C. Scott Franklin
Member of Congress