The House Passes the USE IT Act

Did you know that most federal agencies are using less than 25% of their D.C. office space? In fact, the Social Security Administration only uses as little as 9% of its office space, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). With so much of the federal workforce staying home, taxpayer dollars are going towards empty offices.

It’s time for federal employees to go back to the office. If they won’t do that, it’s time to get rid of wasted office space and wasted tax dollars.

This week, House Republicans passed the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies (USE IT) Act, which requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to take steps to reduce or consolidate space if utilization rate falls below 60%. I'm proud of my colleagues for following through the commitment to rein in government spending.

Thank you to the Red Lake Falls mayor, city council members, and staff for taking the time to meet with me and share what you've been working on!

Combatting the Chinese National Security Threat

This week, the House passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to defend America's national security against adversaries like China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

For example, the app TikTok is owned by a company called ByteDance, which is controlled by the People's Republic of China. While TikTok executives have repeatedly claimed that it doesn’t share U.S. user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the CCP passed several laws requiring all Chinese tech companies allow CCP officials access to user data. Unlike other western social media platforms, TikTok recommends content based on the user's previous engagement and personalized data the platform has already collected. Through this app, the Chinese government has the ability to access the data of millions of U.S. users as well as influence what content they are exposed to. Because of the ambitious data collections goals and the lack of transparency, several governments (included the U.S., the E.U., Canada, India, and several U.S. states) have already banned TikTok from being used on government devices.

With over 170 million users in the United States, it is time for the federal government to step in to protect its citizens from this national security threat. I am glad to see this bill has such wide bipartisan support and I look forward to seeing it move swiftly through the Senate.

Habitat for Humanity came to my office while they were in D.C. Their system of volunteer labor and sweat equity from homeowners has been helping people find safe and affordable housing since 1976!

Drought Disaster Assistance Deadline March 25

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is providing low-interest disaster loans for those impacted by the drought that began on July 18, 2023. The deadline to file for the federal working capital loans is March 25. Please visit the SBA website for more information.

I was happy to have a conversation with the Minnesota Rural Water Association about some of their legislative priorities. They recently had their 40th Technical Conference - Congratulations and thank you for all of your great work.

Congressional Art Competition

High school students from Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District to participate in the annual Congressional Art Competition. This longstanding tradition is a wonderful opportunity for students from across the district to showcase their creativity and hard work. Winners will have their work on display in my Moorhead, Willmar, and Washington, D.C. offices and the first place winner will have their work hung in the U.S. Capitol, where it will be seen by thousands of visitors.

The deadline for submission is April 26th. For more information, please visit my website. 

Thanks for reading!

fischbach.house.gov

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