Government Watchdog Group Applauds New Select Committees on China and Weaponization of Government

For Immediate Release                                                 Contact: Abigail Graham: (202) 417-7235

January 12, 2023                                                                                 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Now that the 118^th Congress has officially begun work, two new select committees have been established, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party and the House Judiciary Committee Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Both of these committees are important steps in ensuring American taxpayers and consumers are protected. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) welcomes these new committees.

In response, TPA President David Williams, offered the following comment:

“The establishment of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party and the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government are two very important and necessary steps taken by Congress this week.

“It’s important that the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government focuses on how Americans have been unfairly targeted online. It was recently discovered that federal agencies like the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have pressured tech companies to censor certain groups of individuals online, and frankly such is an unjust violation of the First Amendment.

“Not only this, the IRS violated the public’s trust from revealing private tax documents of politicians to targeting low-income communities across the country. It is for reasons like this that it is necessary for Congress to take a closer look at how these government agencies have overstepped their role.

“And lastly, TPA is hopeful that the select committee on China will highlight the importance of cybersecurity and data privacy. Unfortunately, there are certain members of Congress who have proposed pieces of legislation that would put Americans’ devices at risk to cybersecurity threats from nefarious foreign state actors. We hope that this select committee will highlight the need to empower American technology companies to retain consumer-protective practices, rather than use federal power to strip companies of the ability to ensure online safety and cybersecurity.”

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Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.