The US House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved a bill that would give TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance about six months to divest the US assets of the short-form video app, which is used by about 170 million Americans, or face facing a ban, in the biggest threat to enforcement since the Trump administration.
The bill passed 352-65 with bipartisan support, but faces an uncertain path in the Senate, where some favor a different approach to controlling foreign-owned apps that raise security concerns. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said today that the Senate “will revisit the bill when it passes the House.”
The fate of TikTok has emerged as a top issue in Washington. Democratic and Republican lawmakers say their offices have received a large volume of calls from teenage TikTok users who oppose the bill, with the volume of complaints at times outnumbering calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Israel. Hamas in Gaza.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said she wants a bill “that could stand up in court” and is considering a separate bill, but she’s not sure what the next step will be.
The move is the latest in a series of moves in Washington to address US national security concerns about China, from connected vehicles to advanced artificial intelligence chips and cranes in US ports.
“This is a critical matter of national security. The Senate needs to take it up and pass it,” House No. 2 Steve Scalise said in a post on social media platform X.
Shortly after the vote, two Democratic and Republican senators, Mark Warner and Marco Rubio respectively, issued a joint statement saying they were encouraged by the bipartisan support for the bill and that they “look forward to working together on this bill be approved by the Senate and signed into law.”
Last month, President Joe Biden’s campaign joined TikTok, raising hopes among platform officials that the prospect of a law being enacted this year is unlikely.
TikTok’s CEO in Washington
TikTok CEO Su Zhiqiu will visit Capitol Hill today in a previously scheduled visit to speak with senators, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
“The process was secret and the bill was blocked for one reason only: It is a ban. We hope the Senate will reflect on the facts, senators will listen to their constituents and realize the impact on the economy, the seven million small businesses and the 170 million Americans who use our service,” said a TikTok spokesperson.
Biden said last week that he would sign the bill.
For his part, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said yesterday that the goal is to end Chinese ownership, not ban TikTok.
“Do we want TikTok, as a platform, to be owned by an American company or in China? We want the data from TikTok – data of children, adults, do they stay here in America or go to China?” he said.
It’s unclear whether China would approve any sale or whether TikTok’s US assets could be divested within six months.
In 2020, then-US President Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok and Chinese-owned WeChat, but was blocked by the courts. Recently, he expressed concerns about the possibility of a ban.
SOURCE: APE-ME
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