NOTE: This vote is only the first step. The Senate still needs to vote/pass this bill AND the President needs to sign the bill BEFORE any of the actions outlined in H.R. 7521 can take place. From Congress.gov H R 7521       2/3 YEA-AND-NAY      13-Mar-2024      10:33 AM QUESTION:   On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended BILL TITLE:  Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act YEAS NAYS PRES NV REPUBLICAN 197 15   7 DEMOCRATIC 155 50 1 7 INDEPENDENT         TOTALS 352 65 1 14

The legislative week has come to a close and will resume Monday, March 11, 2024.  H.Res. 1051 was sent to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and what has emerged are the following pieces of potential legislation: H.R. 7520 , the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 H.R. 7521 , the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act About H.R. 7521 here are a few excerpts from Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)... “The bill takes a two-pronged approach.  “First, it requires Bytedance to divest TikTok and other applications it controls within 180 days after enactment of the bill, or those apps will be prohibited in the United States. “Second, this bill creates a narrow process to allow the Executive Branch to prohibit access to an application that is owned by a foreign adversary if it poses a threat to national security.  “This is NOT a blank check for the Biden administration, or future administrations, to ban whatever apps they want.

Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 , H.Res.106, Sec. 308, Page 417, Congress will close the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve. The reserve was established after Super Storm Sandy in 2014 and the proceeds from the sale will go to the Treasury Department. The existing reserve locations are in New York Harbor (Bayonne, NJ), New York, Boston, and Portland, ME. To establish a new reserve the Secretary of the Energy Department will have to make the request in advance of the annual budget and answer the following: (A) the justification for the new reserve; (B) a cost estimate for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the reserve, including funding sources; (C) a detailed plan for operation of the reserve, including the conditions upon which the products may be released; (D) the location of the reserve; and (E) the estimate of the total inventory of the reserve. One would think it would make sense to establish a new reserve before the sell-off of the current reserve but

H.Res.1051 - Recognizing the importance of the national security risks posed by foreign adversary controlled social media applications. This resolution was introduced on March 5, 2024, and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the same day. There are no new actions as of this posting. The Resolution can be found at the following... https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/1051/text?s=2&r=9&q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22gallagher%22%7D

Here's the latest proposal from "The Select Committee on the CCP" , is it more than a TikTok ban? Could other undesirable applications be caught up in a dragnet? You decide. As of this posting the proposed bill has yet to get a bill number for a floor vote. The press release link below has Rep. (Chairman) Gallagher's remarks on "Protecting Americans from Foreign AdversaryControlled Applications Act – 3/6/24". Press Release: https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/3.6.24%20Chairman%20Gallagher%20Press%20Conference%20Remarks.pdf 'Divestment, Not Censorship': Gallagher and Bipartisan Coalition Hold Press Conference on Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Applications Act Video Segments of the Press Conference: https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/press-releases/divestment-not-censorship-gallagher-and-bipartisan-coalition-hold-press

References: Original creation date: January 6, 2024 https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/house-prepares-early-2024-shakeup-special-elections https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/retirements-tip-control-house-majority-republicans-early-edge-106005511 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/18/congress-retirements-2024-elections-00127883 https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/vacancies-in-the-united-states-senate https://ballotpedia.org/Filling_vacancies_in_the_U.S._Senate