Short-form video app TikTok is once again on the chopping block in the United States due to its ties with the Chinese government.

The House of Representatives will vote this week on new legislation that would offer the company an ultimatum: separate from the Chinese government, or be banned in U.S. app stores.

Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko has voiced her support of the bill, saying that the app is tied too closely to the Chinese government and citing concerns about the app's potential to influence U.S. citizens.

"They censor their own citizens, spy on their own citizens, and want to influence their citizens through their algorithm. We do not want China doing that to our U.S. citizens," she said.

This isn't the first time TikTok has come under fire in the United States, or even in the world. Former President Donald Trump tried to ban the app under an executive order in 2020, but TikTok sued and the courts ruled that banning TikTok would constitute a violation of free speech.

India banned the app entirely in 2020, along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing national security concerns.

National security concerns are also behind the new U.S. legislation, something Lesko echoes in her support of the ultimatum:

"They’ll have to decide: Do we want to continue TikTok in the United States? And if so, they need to separate from the Chinese-owned company so that we don’t have a national security threat."

In late 2022, the Justice Department began an investigation into TikTok and its surveillance of American journalists, with ByteDance acknowledging that two of its employees had gained access to sensitive data on some U.S. TikTok users who were reporters.

If the bill passes, ByteDance will have six months to sell TikTok or separate itself from the Chinese government before a total ban is implemented.

While the government itself cannot remove apps from app stores, Apple and Google could face hefty fines if they continue to offer downloads for TikTok in the App Store and Play Store, respectively.

TikTok sent out notifications to its users last week with templates for letters and instructions on how to contact elected officials in order to voice concern for the latest ban attempt.