Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts told Newsmax on Thursday that he was happy to see the federal government treat TikTok the same way his state has already done.
The omnibus spending bill that Congress is expected to pass includes funding to expand a ban of the Chinese-owned TikTok social media app from use by federal employees on government smartphones.
"We banned TikTok on state devices back in August of 2020 because of our concern about the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] and what they were doing to collect data on our citizens and, specifically, on our state devices; how they'd be able to control data, the software," Ricketts told co-host Shaun Kraisman on "National Report."
"The Chinese Communist Party is a threat to the United States and we need to take it seriously, and one of the things that we can do is to prevent them from collecting data on us. And so this is just common sense measure to ban TikTok. TikTok is obligated, legally, to give that information to the CCP, and so we ought to take that threat seriously."
Ricketts also was asked about a letter that he and 20 other Republican governors sent to President Joe Biden that called for an end to the COVID-19 national emergency declaration.
"We ended our state emergency here in Nebraska in June 2021 and its time for the federal government to quit creating this culture, or this atmosphere of fear around the pandemic," Ricketts told Kraisman. "We just have to manage the virus. And it has all sorts of fiscal impacts on our country.
"For example, we’re all getting an enhanced amount of money from the federal government, which means the federal government is continuing to spend more money than we’re taking in, running up the debt. If we can end this emergency, we can go back to more normal operations and stop spending so much money that’s just going to be a burden for our grandkids down the road.
"It will also allow us to review what we’re doing with regard to who should be on Medicaid. Right now, we’re not allowed, as states, to go back and review the files to see if people deserve to be on Medicaid right now. So, potentially, we’ve got thousands … or even more, tens of thousands maybe … of people who aren’t supposed to be on Medicaid but are still receiving benefits."
Ricketts, who soon will be replaced by GOP Gov.-elect Jim Pillen, would like to fill the seat created by U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s planned resignation in January.
"The next governor will make that decision," Ricketts said. "But I would really appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Nebraska. I think there’s a lot we can do to continue to grow our state."
The governor also addressed the arctic blast that has resulted in snow and sub-zero temperatures in the Midwest, including Nebraska.
"I think the high today is going to be around minus-10 or minus-13, or minus-12, something like that … you can get frostbite in less than 10 minutes," he said. "We urging people that if you don’t have to travel today, don’t travel today."
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