In domestic speeches, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping often uses the metaphor of seeds of a pomegranate to describe the Chinese people — bound tightly together and uniform. The phrase stands in contrast to America’s founding motto, e pluribus unum: out of the many, one. The American ideal rejects forced uniformity and the erasure of ethnic minorities, standing instead for a diverse multitude united under a shared set of principles.

We saw this unity in action during the two House committee hearings held this past Thursday. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee created a united front to confront the threats from TikTok, while the House China Select Committee members did the same in response to the atrocities and genocide the CCP has committed against the Uyghur people. The public deserves more bipartisan cooperation from Congress like this as we face our greatest adversary yet.

In a hearing from the new House Select Committee on China, two Uyghur women bravely risked retaliation from the CCP by sharing their testimony about their time in Chinese concentration camps. In one poignant moment, tears filled the eyes of Qelbinur Sidik, a former camp detainee, as she recounted her witness of intimidation, torture, and forced sterilization. Their commitment to exposing the truth drew members together with a desire to put a stop to the grave atrocities the Uyghur people have suffered at the hands of the CCP.

The China Select hearing was not the only time emotions ran high on Thursday. Earlier that day, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee as lawmakers grilled him about the app’s national security and mental health concerns. Chew, certainly less committed to the truth than the Uyghur witnesses, evaded questions left and right from members of Congress.

In spite of their differences, during both hearings, members of Congress acted as a united front in condemning the evils of the CCP. “Welcome to the most bipartisan committee,” Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) joked as he began his questioning of Chew. Carter continued, “We may not always agree on how to get there, but we care about our national security. We care about our economy, and we sure as heck care about our children.” Members of the committee corroborated these sentiments through their lines of questioning, directing fire at the witness rather than across the dais.

In a more poignant moment, Naomi Kikoler, an expert witness in the China Select Committee’s hearing on the CCP’s Uyghur genocide, called upon members of the committee and the public to fight back against the genocide saying, “This is our moment to abide by values Americans hold dear.” Members of the committee worked in unison to gather information about the atrocity committed by the CCP in the Xinjiang province and explored possible courses of action to put an end to the evils.

Bipartisan momentum is exactly what we need to counter the Chinese Communist Party. China Select Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) has expressed his desire to work in a bipartisan manner to produce viable legislation that won’t be killed by internal squabbles. This is the kind of cooperation Americans must demand and expect from their elected officials.

Quarrels on the House and Senate floor will do nothing to eradicate the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party’s unfettered access to our data through TikTok, nor will it protect our youth from harmful content. Internal fighting will do nothing to end the genocide against the Uyghur people, whose internment will continue without our action. We must work together to stop the CCP.

Last week we saw the worst of China. So let us come together, out of the many, and show them our best.

Anne Lord works in government affairs for the Vandenberg Coalition. A former staffer for Sen. Ben Sasse, she holds a master’s in strategic studies from the University of St. Andrew’s in Scotland. The views expressed are the author's own.