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March 12th, 2024

TikTok is a national security threat to the United States of America. The social media juggernaut is a Chinese Communist Party-controlled program used to surveil more than 150 million Americans – both young and old. TikTok is Chinese spyware that allows the Chinese Communist Party to manipulate the minds of young Americans at will and compromises the privacy of millions of Americans.

It is essentially digital fentanyl, a 21st century technological weapon. The app is so potent and addictive that TikTok is banned within China. The version of TikTok approved for use in China is watered down, free of an algorithm set for addiction, and focused on educational purposes. Meanwhile, TikTok is the most popular social media for American teenagers, allowing the CCP to sow discord and feed the American people communist propaganda through their phones.

While TikTok’s data and algorithm is kept secret, the anecdotal evidence is clear: TikTok pushes content aligned with the CCP’s agenda. It’s no coincidence that TikTok was flooded with pro-Hamas and antisemitic videos in the aftermath of the October 7th attack. Given who holds the purse strings, it’s unsurprising that videos on the Uyghur genocide or Tiananmen Square are virtually impossible to find on TikTok.

Ultimately, the threat which TikTok poses to the security and privacy of Americans must be addressed before it’s too late.

Fortunately, we’re not starting from square one. The Trump-Pence administration took historic action recognizing that China is the greatest economic and strategic threat facing the United States. We also set the stage for sweeping action to address TikTok as the national security and privacy threat that it is. In 2020, our administration issued an executive order intended to force the CCP to sell TikTok.

Unfortunately, the Biden-Harris administration revoked that executive order soon after taking office, as they sought to roll back virtually everything done by our administration, regardless of merit. Just as it ignored Chinese spy balloons flying overhead, the Biden Administration has done nothing to address Chinese spy programs on our devices.

While Congress pushed Biden to enact legislation banning TikTok on official government devices, that hasn’t stopped his campaign from posting away on its own official TikTok account. Even still, I am grateful that Biden’s use of the app hasn’t kept him from backing the bill moving through the House this week (H.R. 7521) that forces the sale of TikTok. I just wish it hadn’t required the upcoming election for him to take the threat seriously.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, expertly navigated through the Energy and Commerce Committee (50-0) by Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, is carefully crafted. While a TikTok ban would violate the First Amendment (something that could never be countenanced), forcing TikTok to divest from the Chinese Community Party—as this bill is designed to do—is just common sense.

Today, every politician likes to talk tough on China. Unfortunately, too many politicians talk a big game but crack under the pressure of wealthy donors or personal grudges—including my former running mate. When lobbyists for a company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party can turn a former president against his own political legacy, we should all be concerned.

The era of appeasing the Chinese Communist Party is over. The Trump-Pence administration was the first to confront the threat posed by TikTok, and I will never falter in my commitment to confronting China at home and abroad.

Allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States while under CCP control is simply unacceptable. We would never have let Russia run the nightly news during the Cold War, and we certainly can’t let China do the same now.

Allowing TikTok to continue to spew CCP-sanctioned propaganda poisoning the minds of American children is just wrong. Enough is enough.

Congress should pass legislation forcing the sale of TikTok as soon as possible, and President Biden must immediately sign it into law.

Read more here at FoxNews.com.

March 7th, 2024

As vice president and a member of Congress, it was my honor to be in the House chamber, where three different presidents laid out their vision for America in the annual State of the Union address.

When President Biden addresses the nation tonight, I’ll be watching from home in Indiana – and like many of my fellow citizens, I’ll be hoping against the odds that his words will be accompanied by meaningful action.

However, history has taught us to temper our optimism regarding this administration’s promises. In the past, President Biden has used this occasion to sing from the Republican hymnal – talking like a commonsense conservative while hiding the truth of his ultra-progressive, big government agenda.

Take, for example, the pledge made in his 2022 address: “My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and lower the deficit.” Today, cumulative inflation under Mr. Biden is over 18% – one of the worst records of any president since World War II. And despite the president’s promises to the contrary, in 2023, the budget deficit doubled to nearly $2 trillion thanks to Democrats’ profligate spending.

In previous addresses, Mr. Biden has proudly trumpeted America’s commitment to our allies. Last year, he proclaimed: “America is united in our support for Ukraine. We will stand with you as long as it takes.” Yet every step of the way, we have been far too slow in doling out military aid to Ukraine. Every time the president vacillates, Russia digs in deeper. The president’s actions should match his words, and America should provide the military support Ukraine needs to drive Vladimir Putin out of their country.

As Israel is waging a war for its very survival against Hamas, intent on its destruction. President Biden says Israel’s response has been “over the top” and continues to pressure our most cherished ally to stand down. America must stand with Israel until it hunts down and destroys Hamas once and for all.

Tonight, President Biden will no doubt talk about the importance of securing the border – just as he has done in every single State of the Union he has delivered. Last year, he boasted that “we now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border.” However, contrary to his tough talk, the president’s actions prove that he wants the border to remain totally open as a matter of policy. More than 7 million illegal aliens have entered the United States through our southern border on Joe Biden’s watch. That includes tens of thousands of aliens from Communist China, Iran, and other hostile nations. Biden can end the crisis in a heartbeat. He just has to reinstate the policies he cancelled, including the Remain in Mexico policy for asylum seekers and a Title 42–like turnaway authority allowing immediate expulsion of illegal aliens apprehended at the border.

As President Biden prepares to deliver his State of the Union speech, I urge him to move beyond empty promises and partisan posturing that have characterized his previous addresses. The American people deserve more than just lofty rhetoric – they deserve deeds that match words. Like millions of Americans, I doubt this president can deliver – but for the sake of our country, I hope that he can.

Read more here at TheWashingtonExaminer.com.

March 6th, 2024

Imagine if, during the Cold War, politicians not only allowed the Soviet Union to build factories on American soil but actually paid them millions of taxpayer dollars to do so. It’s an absurd idea, yet this is precisely the situation we face today with companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party eligible for tax credits thanks to President Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress.

In 2022, Biden and the Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included massive taxpayer giveaways for “green” energy. Now, Gotion Inc., a company affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, is building factories in Michigan and Illinois that would qualify for the tax credits. That’s on top of more than $700 million in incentives funded by state and local taxpayers.

Gotion is undoubtedly a threat to U.S. national security. According to the bylaws of its parent company, Gotion is required “to carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the [Chinese Communist Party].” Sadly, China often forces its own citizens to participate in industrial espionage against their will.

Gotion has also hosted Iran’s minister of industry at one of its facilities in China, and it is linked to companies that have participated in the genocide of Uyghurs in northwest China.

It would be an abomination of national security principles, sound public policy, and moral responsibility to allow tax dollars to flow to this company through the Inflation Reduction Act or any other legislation.

Former President Barack Obama’s defense secretary, Leon Panetta, along with former President Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, recently testified that Gotion poses a significant risk to American sovereignty and security. Both of these leaders understand how the Chinese Communist Party operates and how it exploits America’s freedom and openness to hurt our country.

That is why it is time for Congress to pass the NO GOTION Act, which was introduced last year by Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI). It is a simple, three-page bill that would prohibit CCP-affiliated companies such as Gotion from receiving federal tax dollars from hardworking families.

Only a fool would fund his adversaries, and Biden and the Democrats have put every member of the public in this horrible position. The NO GOTION Act would restore common sense and stop our country from being exploited by the CCP and the companies it is using to undermine our national security.

The NO GOTION Act represents a rare opportunity to safeguard our national interests, strengthen our economic resilience, and send a clear message that America will not tolerate CCP interference in our critical industries. It would also boost American companies that want to develop carbon-friendly energy instead of ones that are owned by the CCP.

In many respects, the Chinese Communist Party poses a greater threat to the United States than the Soviet Union ever did, yet today, Biden and the Democrats are poised to fund its ambitions. Congress must pass the NO GOTION Act and end the madness.

Read more here at TheWashingtonExaminer.com.

March 1st, 2024

Dozens of conservative organization leaders are sending a letter to members of Congress on Friday demanding they adopt protections for religious Americans who support the traditional idea of marriage.

The signees urged Republicans in the House of Representatives to prioritize passing the “Roy Marriage Amendment,” named after Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, to protect religious freedom, according to the letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Advancing American Freedom (AAF), a conservative policy organization founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, spearheaded the letter and included signatures from Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, Joe Waresak, president of the James Dobson Family Institute, and Tom McClusky, director of government affairs for Catholic Vote, among others.

“As the leaders of organizations dedicated to protecting religious liberty and other First Amendment liberties for all Americans, we encourage you to include the Roy ‘Marriage Amendment’ in the upcoming appropriations bills,” the letter reads. “The language would provide much-needed protection to organizations and individuals who hold traditional beliefs on marriage from discrimination by the federal government.”

If adopted, the amendment would prohibit the government from engaging in “any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially on the basis that such person speaks, or acts, in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief, or moral conviction” regarding marriage between a man and a woman, according to the text. It also prevents the federal government from eliminating a religious group’s tax exemption status for their beliefs on marriage.

Roy submitted the amendment to the House in 2022 in an attempt to include it with the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which requires all fifty states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states and was passed in December of that same year.

The House is currently attempting to avoid a government shutdown after failing to pass a new budget for fiscal year 2024 in September. Members voted Thursday to extend the deadline to March 8, prompting AAF to encourage lawmakers to push the amendment through before a potential shutdown.

“This provision is needed now more than ever, for no one should ever fear government punishment for holding to traditional marriage as the unique blessing that it is for all. We strongly encourage you to once again include the Roy ‘Marriage Amendment’ in upcoming appropriations bills,” the letter concludes.

Read more here at DailyCaller.com.

February 22nd, 2024

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s political advocacy group on Wednesday announced a $20 million investment to defend conservative principles.

Advancing American Freedom, a 501©(4) organization advocating for conservative values and policy proposals, will hire new staff and bring on “faces familiar to the conservative movement” as part of a $20 million blueprint “for building out an organization meant to defend the sentiment that conservatism.”

“Our nation was founded on conservative principles that have stood the test of time,” Pence said in a statement. “The Constitution and this great American experiment must not be swayed by movements or personalities but must hold fast to the time-honored principles that have made America strong and prosperous and free.

“Many in the conservative movement have walked away from these principles, chasing the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative principles.”

His organization will instead “hold high those principles, staying true to the ideals that have made America the greatest nation on earth and I know the American people will rally to our cause.”

Pence, who bowed out of the GOP presidential race in October, previously pinged former President Donald Trump for his “siren song of populism.”

“Should the new populism of the right seize and guide our party, the Republican Party we’ve long known will cease to exist and the fate of American freedom would be in doubt,” Pence said last September.

“If we are to defeat Joe Biden and turn America around, the Republican Party must be the party of limited government, free enterprise, fiscal responsibility and traditional moral values,” Pence argued in his speech. He compared the right’s ascendant populism — generally defined as a focus on ordinary people’s complaints about big government and so-called elites — to the left’s progressivism, calling them “fellow travelers on the same road to ruin.”

Read more here at Newsmax.com.

February 22nd, 2024

Former Vice President Mike Pence and the Advancing America Freedom conservative political advocacy organization intend to spend $20 million to emphasize conservatism over populism and socialism.

The funds will fuel the new American Solutions Project, which The Hill reported has three primary objectives.

One is to create a platform that conservative candidates can use to move away from populism while countering what it calls the “embrace of socialism” by the left.

Another is to promote conservative laws and policies that the group says will restore the United States as a global leader, confront China, promote free trade and limit government spending.

The final objective is to protect the conservative principle of limited government and spending.

“Our nation was founded on conservative principles that have stood the test of time. The Constitution and this great American experiment must not be swayed by movements or personalities, but must hold fast to the time-honored principles that have made America strong and prosperous and free,” Pence told RealClearPolitics in a statement that also was published on the Advancing American Freedom site.

Pence in October withdrew his candidacy for the GOP nomination for president, which has boiled down to a race between former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump, along with his populist followers and imitators … often sound like an echo of the progressive they would replace in the White House,” Pence said during a speech in September. “Like progressives, the Republican populists insist government should dictate how private businesses operate.”

Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, told RealClearPolitics that Trump wants to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported to the United States, which runs counter to the conservative notion of free trade.

He also said many conservative policy analysts abandoned defending Ukraine in favor of sympathizing with Russia President Vladimir Putin.

Pence wants the $20 million American Solutions Project to help grow the Advancing American Freedom group by adding more staff, improving its infrastructure and promoting its efforts to affirm conservative policies while opposing populism and socialism, The Hill reported.

Read more here at UBI.com.

February 21st, 2024

Former Vice President Mike Pence has a $20 million blueprint for building out an organization meant to defend the sentiment that conservatism, when properly defined, “is bigger than any one moment, election, or person,” RealClearPolitics is first to report.

This was part of the Pence platform while a presidential candidate when he was warning against “unprincipled populism.” It was not a political winner, but it remains the mission of his group, Advancing American Freedom, as they launch what they call the “American Solutions Project.”

Toward that end, Pence is expanding his operation, hiring new staff, and bringing on faces familiar to the conservative movement. Ed Feulner, founder and former president of the Heritage Foundation, will join the AAF board. So will Victor Smith, chairman of Catholic University’s board of trustees, and Art Pope, North Carolina retail magnate.

Their work is a throwback. Some on the right will find it unfashionable. This is by design.

“Our nation was founded on conservative principles that have stood the test of time. The Constitution and this great American experiment must not be swayed by movements or personalities, but must hold fast to the time-honored principles that have made America strong and prosperous and free,” Pence said in a statement to RCP.

Without pointing to anyone in particular, the former vice president added that “many in the conservative movement have walked away from these principles, chasing the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative principles.” His organization, Pence concluded, will instead “hold high those principles, staying true to the ideals that have made America the greatest nation on earth and I know the American people will rally to our cause.”

The conservatism that Pence seeks to conserve, one his group defines according to “limited government” principles, is meant to contrast with “the populist right and progressive left.”

It is not unusual for politicians to found organizations and nonprofits once out of office, but with his group, Pence is not just adding to the already expanding constellation of conservative groups. He is offering an answer to the ongoing Republican identity crisis, albeit as former President Trump continues to remake the GOP in his own image.

News of the project comes on the eve of the South Carolina primary, as Trump closes in on a third GOP nomination. The group also timed its rollout for the same week as the Conservative Political Action Conference, the annual confab in Washington, D.C., that has become a hotbed for the most diehard fans of the former president.

“There is a void in our movement currently for traditional conservatives,” said Marc Short, who worked as the vice president’s chief of staff, “and many of our flagship organizations have walked away from those principles.”

Short surveyed a movement where “those who once advocated for free trade are silent” as Trump vows to impose a 10% tariff on all imported goods, and one where conservative foreign policy hawks have not just “retreated from their positions in defense of Ukraine,” but are “at this point, more or less sympathizers of Putin.”

The Republican party, and the conservative movement more generally, Short continued, have moved past the old law-and-order rejoinder to adopt an ideology that “promotes rule of man over rule of law.”

Among intellectuals on the right, there was a concerted effort to graft established conservative orthodoxy with the nascent, often changing, ideology of Trump. For his part, Pence served as a sort of in-house conservative conscience, pushing his boss to the right on policy. Since the Jan. 6 riot, however, the two men have gone their separate ways. Trump, and the movement he leads, are increasingly unbound from the kind of conservatism Pence represents.

Despite the Trump-Pence divorce, the AAF group will work with candidates and legislators on a gambit of domestic and international policy issues from “reining in the federal government” and “unleashing American energy dominance” to “promoting free trade with free nations” and “defeating the Chinese communist party.”

Notably, Pence’s group will also focus on restoring U.S. global leadership. According to a one-pager detailing their efforts, this means rejecting “a future of isolation and appeasement” and continuing to “support our partners in Ukraine and Israel in a fiscally responsible manner.”

Ukraine has quickly become a litmus test among the new and old GOP. House Republicans are now refusing to sign off on President Biden’s request to send billions in aid to Kyiv unless the White House commits to additional security on the U.S. southern border. Even before that, Pence was pilloried as a globalist on the campaign trail for his support of Ukrainian allies.

More than just a debate over foreign aid, the new effort comes as many on the right question both the role of America and the modern patron saint of Republicans. During the first GOP primary debate, for instance, when Pence extolled the virtue of the American experiment, Vivek Ramaswamy shot back that “It’s not morning in America,” invoking the optimism of Ronald Reagan not as an applause line but to mock the old school conservatives as out of touch in a new world.

Pence has little patience for those who seek to evolve past principle, and during his campaign, the conservative often argued that the nation needed “government as good as our people again.”

If there is indeed a void on the right, Feulner, who prides himself as “an institution builder,” argued that an elder statesman like Pence is the one to fill it.

“He’s so universally known and very widely respected, not only in the party, but among American citizens all over, as being a sensible and God-fearing person, who knows what the United States is all about,” Feulner said.

Read more here at RealClearPolitics.com.