Senate Commerce Chair Supports Amended Bill That Could Ban TikTok

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced her support Wednesday for a bipartisan bill that would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a U.S. ban after it It has been updated to extend the time period for the offer.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversarial Controlled Applications Act passed the House in a broad bipartisan vote in March, just a week after it was initially introduced. The Commerce Committee chairman’s support paves the way for him to proceed in the upper chamber.

“I am very happy that the president [Mike] Johnson [R-La.] and House leaders incorporated my recommendation to extend ByteDance’s divestment period from six months to one year. As I said, it is necessary to extend the divestment period to ensure that there is enough time for a new buyer to close the deal. I support this updated legislation,” Cantwell said in a statement Wednesday night.

The adjustment alters one of the concerns raised by critics about the bill, specifically that it gave TikTok’s parent company a short period of time to sell the app before it was banned.

But other lawmakers raised different concerns that could still arise as the legislation moves forward. Some progressive Democrats criticized the project for violating users’ free speech rights.

The bill update was made as part of a legislative package that House GOP leaders unveiled on Wednesday. In addition to including TikTok’s forced sale clause, the legislation also includes new sanctions on Iran, military aid to Ukraine’s advisor in the form of a forgivable loan, and a clause to give the federal government authority to use seized Russian assets to pay the costs. . of Ukrainian reconstruction.

Called the “21st Century Law,” the bill is the fourth part of a larger foreign aid package that the House is expected to consider, one at a time, in its vote on Saturday.

TikTok strongly rejected the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversarial Controlled Applications Act and denied accusations that the app poses threats to national security.

If the bill passed, President Biden said he would sign it into law.

However, even if it becomes law, a potential ban could be blocked in court. Other attempts to ban the app by the former Trump administration and states were stifled in federal courts.