The House of Representatives has again passed a bill that would ban TikTok from the United States unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells it. But this time, it's in a more difficult form for the Senate to block.
The measure passed 360-58 as part of the bill. Bigger legislation related to sanctions against foreign enemies like Russia. It is part of a series of foreign aid bills aimed at providing military aid to Ukraine and Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Due to the urgency of funding, packaging these measures into the TikTok bill means the Senate will need to consider the proposal more quickly than a standalone bill. In the previous TikTok bill, It passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 352-65. Just last month, it so far tailed off in the Senate, with lawmakers sending mixed messages about its future.
Notably, Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who typically takes up bills in committee before proceeding to the floor, did not change her stance on the bill. But after a version of the foreign aid package was released, she said she supported the bill.
That's because the updated language extends ByteDance's timeline for selling TikTok before the de facto ban goes into effect. To avoid the ban, ByteDance will take up to a year to complete the sale, rather than just six months. The new House document calls for an initial nine-month period for the sale, giving the president the discretion to extend it by an additional three months if progress is made toward a deal.
During debate on the bill Saturday morning, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he supported the package that includes the latest TikTok bill, although he voted against the standalone version. Meeks said he opposed the previous standalone TikTok bill because he believed „this would be a broad authorization that could be exploited not just for TikTok, but far beyond what's currently being discussed in Washington.“ He said he objected „out of concern.“
But he added, „This bill is a step in the right direction by establishing more realistic deadlines for a complex sale process.“ For the record, I think this bill should be interpreted narrowly as it pertains to one company provided by additional authorities to the executive branch. ”
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) did not directly mention the TikTok bill when he stood against the House bill on the floor Saturday, but the app is being rolled out in Gaza under the Israeli prime minister. Alluded to how destruction has been shown to the American public. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's order. Mr. Castro voted against the previous standalone TikTok bill.
„We have seen how Prime Minister Netanyahu's government has used American weapons to kill indiscriminately and force starvation,“ Castro said. „We can't escape what's in front of us every day. That's the blessing of today's technology, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, all of that. And when we see that, what do we do about it?“ We have to decide: Are we going to participate in that genocide or not?”
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party's House Select Committee and who helped lead the original TikTok bill, said the bill is „about divestiture, not banning. ” he emphasized. And it's not really about TikTok, it's about ByteDance, which owns TikTok and is undeniably controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. ” (TikTok denies any such connection).
The Senate is in recess this week for Passover, which could delay any action in the Senate. It's possible that leadership will bring senators back to vote early, but scheduling conflicts could make it difficult. as politiko I noticed recentlysome lawmakers are planning to travel with their congressional delegations over the holidays, which could make it difficult to bring back enough senators early to pass a package.
If the TikTok bill remains in the final version of the Senate package and clears that hurdle, it will be sent to President Joe Biden's desk. He has already promised to sign the TikTok bill if it passes.