On Friday, senators on both sides of the aisle expressed support for taking action to force the sale of social media app TikTok from China-based ByteDance under threat of a U.S. ban.
The move comes after it passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 352-65 on Wednesday, with one lawmaker abstaining. Either China will be forced to divest from TikTok or the app will be banned. Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern about ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok, stressing that it poses a serious national security threat.
House Republican leaders take aim at Biden’s energy policy in next week’s bill blitz
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he was pleased the House passed the bill, adding that he looked forward to the Senate moving it forward. “I am against TikTok, both because it is used by the Chinese Communist Party for espionage and surveillance, and because it is used to spread extremely harmful propaganda, especially to young people. I have stated my concerns clearly and unequivocally,” he told FOX. News Digital.
The icon for the video sharing app “TikTok” will be displayed on your smartphone. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
House passes bill that could ban TikTok in the US
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said she would like to see the app forced to be sold. “I want to see us sold. I want to be forced to sell. We should not have such a relationship with communist China.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) echoed that sentiment, saying, “We have to deal with it.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), chairman and vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, praised the House’s passage of the TikTok bill. Joint statement “We are united in our concern about the national security threat posed by TikTok,” he said Wednesday. He added that he expects the bill to pass the Senate and be signed by President Biden.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va., left), chairman of the committee, and ranking member Sen. Marco Rubio during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in March. He cross-examines a witness while staring at the congressman (Republican, Florida). 8th, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Top senators on intelligence committees have been sounding the alarm on social media apps for years. Warner, a Democrat, claimed In 2022, he claimed that “President Trump was right” when he tried to ban TikTok by executive order in 2020, but was ultimately blocked by the courts.
Johnson says House will “put all pressure” on Senate to pass TikTok bill
At the annual Senate hearing on Intel’s global threats held earlier this week with various national security officials, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Rubio that ByteDance “is clearly a member of the Chinese Communist Party.” “I am benefiting from this,” he admitted.
“I think what we’re hearing is a real risk,” said Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper. The senator said he expects the Senate to take action, especially given the massive bipartisan support evident in the House vote.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) speaks during a press conference to discuss legislation that would temporarily halt U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia at the U.S. Capitol on October 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., added, “I hope that in the interest of national security and information protection, we will also be required to divest TikTok from China.” [and] Ordinary Americans’ data can be protected. ”
TIKTOK CEO tells users to ‘protect their constitutional rights’ in response to TIKTOK ban in video
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said he views TikTok as a “national security threat,” adding that he wants to “make sure we cut ties” with China.
Despite high concerns about TikTok among members of both parties, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) was vague about the bill’s fate in the Senate on Wednesday, saying he doubted it would be introduced quickly. He gave no clue as to what. tracked within the body.
“As soon as the bill is introduced from the House of Representatives, it will be considered by the Senate,” he said in a statement after the bill was passed.
Republicans reveal efforts to roll back Biden climate change rules targeting manufacturing
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.) speaks after the Democratic Party Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))
In 2020, Schumer specifically wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “an American company should buy TikTok so everyone can keep using it and our data is safe.”
“TikTok in China is subject to Chinese Communist Party law and may be required to hand over data to the government,” he wrote at the time.
Schumer’s speech on Israel criticized by Republicans and experts as “unprecedented” and “ridiculous”
The House bill was read twice on Thursday before being referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, so it is not in a rush for quick passage.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) attends a Senate Judiciary Committee markup on May 11, 2023 in the Hart Building in Washington, DC. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Cruz criticized the Senate’s recent tendency to cut corners, saying there needs to be a “full and open amendment process.”
But as consideration of the measure drags on, there are concerns about the extra time it will give TikTok and its technology lobbyists.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri; criticized the flow of money “There should be a sign there that says ‘Property of Big Tech,'” he said during a conversation with Fox News Digital, gesturing toward the Senate chamber and saying, “There should be a sign there that says ‘Property of Big Tech.'” insisted.
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration archivist Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) speaks during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s full committee hearing on Shogun’s nomination on Capitol Hill. Ask candidate Colleen Shogan about her social media posts. February 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
Democrats panic over third-party candidates wavering in Trump’s election: ‘Single biggest threat’
Hawley said he expects the bill to be debated and voted on in the near future.
On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Chiu told Fox News correspondent Aisha Husney that his team had reviewed the House bill and found it “unfeasible.”
“This bill has thoroughly considered every detail that can be read and this will lead to banning of the app in the country,” he claimed.
“The answer is that the Chinese Communist Party won’t allow it to be sold. This tells you how valuable TikTok is to them,” Hawley wrote in a post on X.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
While the House bill on TikTok appeared to have broad support, a small but somewhat bipartisan group of lawmakers voiced opposition. The group also included Sen. Cory Booker (D.N.J.). Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky. Mike Lee (R-Utah) warned that this could violate various constitutional amendments and expand the size and scope of the federal government.
