A leading Democratic senator says he will “sooner rather than later” on a bipartisan bill that could force a sale or outright ban on TikTok, despite some critics expressing displeasure about the timeline. He said he hopes a vote will be taken.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is leading the Senate’s internal debate on what to do about popular Chinese-owned apps.
Last month, House of Representatives members overwhelmingly approved a bill that would require TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company ByteDance to sell within six months or face an outright ban by the United States.
When asked about the potential timing of a vote on the bill, Cantwell said, “I support bringing it to the floor sooner rather than later because I don’t think it’s going to go away.”
“There are several ways this can be accomplished in the short term,” Cantwell added. Wall Street Journal interview Published on Sunday.
The lack of progress on the bill has increased pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to move quickly to a floor vote.
President Biden has already said he intends to sign the bill once it reaches his desk.
Cantwell said he supports the bill that would force ByteDance to divest, but wants to consider possible changes to the House version, including whether it can withstand an inevitable legal challenge from TikTok. thinking.
“Do we want a tool that can stop the United States from broadcasting malicious messages into the United States? The answer is yes, we want that tool to exist,” Cantwell said. said. “So the question is: Is the House tool good enough or do we need to make some changes to it?”
The Commerce chairman’s approach has worried some senators who support a speedy vote and worry the bill will join a number of other stalled tech bills.
“Historically, the Commerce Committee is where this issue ends,” Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-Va.) added, “I’m frustrated with the committee because these big issues don’t seem to be resolved.”
TikTok argues that the House bill is a de facto ban and has vowed to fight the bill in court if it becomes law.
Despite the company’s apparent reluctance to sell, suitors have already emerged.
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is considering partnering with an AI company as part of a larger effort to acquire TikTok and reshape its recommendation algorithm in the United States, people familiar with the matter told The Post. It is said to be under consideration.
The sources also said the tight six-month deadline for selling the House bill was seen as a major obstacle to Mr. Mnuchin’s plan, with 12 to 18 months seen as a more realistic time frame.
Experts cited cloud computing and enterprise AI giant Oracle as a logical partner in a bid led by President Mnuchin. Oracle was part of a group that nearly bought TikTok in 2020 when Mnuchin was in former President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Cantwell was open to extending the schedule by six months, telling reporters earlier this month that doing so “would be a good guarantee of success.”
A longer period would “give us the ability to actually make trades and maybe give us a little bit more breathing room, not stability, but we would be able to find a suitable way to sell,” Cantwell told the Journal. Ta.
