Senators on both sides of the aisle poured cold water on Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) in hopes that a House-passed bill requiring social media app TikTok to leave China would reach the Senate floor. is repulsed.
“I’m not surprised at all about this.” exactly what i predicted Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) was responding to recent comments from Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chairman Cantwell in a press briefing.
later House bill passed It won a supermajority in the House last month, but was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee without being fast-tracked in the same way. That would put the bill under Cantwell’s authority as speaker, and she would be tasked with raising prices and scheduling public hearings.
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A bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Josh Hawley and Rep. Mark Warner, pushed back on claims about the House-passed TikTok bill sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (center). (Getty Images)
Washington Democrats had already expressed interest in holding multiple hearings on the TikTok bill, signaling that the process would be lengthy as some feared. But she shared new detailed criticism of the bill with reporters on Monday, reportedly suggesting it would not withstand judicial scrutiny.
Cantwell argued the measure “could be better,” Punchbowl News reported. “As a Congress, we can’t just suddenly decide one day, ‘Oh!’ and then pass a law. Well, we can, but we don’t know if it will hold up in court.
“Get something you can stand behind.”
Regarding TikTok specifically, she has her own proposal called the GUARD Act, which would allow the executive branch, specifically the Commerce Department, to regulate apps owned by foreign adversaries, such as TikTok. This measure does not force investment withdrawal from China.
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Asked on FOX News Digital if he plans to hold a public hearing on the House-passed bill, Cantwell said, “We’re working on that schedule. So we’ll let you know soon.” .
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) criticized the proposal on Fox News Digital, saying, “It’s the right thing to do for national security, and it’s embarrassing to look for excuses.”
TikTok logo, August 22, 2022. (Reuters/Dado Ruvik/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) further argued that the bill was designed to go to court and encourage quick decisions.
“We anticipate litigation in court and are working to ensure that litigation is expedited,” he said.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) said this approach was “taken in the House bill,” citing conversations with the Justice Department and legal advice it provided. Ta. [is] It’s about threading the needle properly,” he said, pushing back against Cantwell’s comments.
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“I think this is clearly constitutional and passes every test of legal sufficiency,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Fox News Digital. “Asset sales are a common remedy used by the Department of Justice in antitrust litigation and also apply in many other types of situations.”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, reiterated that he wants a vote on “a bill that would sever ties between TikTok and the Chinese government.”
Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) speaks during a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating global threats at the Capitol in Washington, March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade Rose)
Cantwell’s representatives have not commented on the criticism.
Hawley once again hinted that lobbying efforts from Big Tech were likely behind the stalled TikTok bill, telling reporters, “TikTok doesn’t want this bill to pass the Senate floor.” Told.
“Therefore, it is very unlikely that it will move beyond the Senate floor.”
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Several Politico reports last month revealed that several former Cantwell staffers are now lobbying members of Congress on behalf of Congress. social media appssparking both questions and criticism given her position charting the bill’s trajectory through the Commerce Committee.
TikTok has not responded to Fox News Digital for comment.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) during a full committee hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on February 28, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
But Hawley said he won’t accept that the TikTok bill won’t make it to the floor for a vote.
He argued that if the Commerce Committee attempts to “bottle the issue,” it could seek “unanimous consent for a vote and debate” to bring the TikTok bill to the floor.
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Asked if he thought the bill would make it to the floor, Warner said: “I think we need to address an issue that is a national security threat and has overwhelming support.” Ta.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D.N.Y. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Fetterman expressed optimism, saying he believes a vote on a forced sale of TikTok will eventually take place.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.) noted that this would be a decision of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.), the Senate majority leader.
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Schumer did not respond to Fox News Digital when asked if he planned to vote on the House-passed bill.
“All I can say is that it’s important to get them sold, or we’ll probably have to find a process to remove them from the platform,” Rounds said.
