Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that the proposed ban on TikTok “makes no sense” ahead of a scheduled vote in the full House on Wednesday.
In an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Paul said TikTok’s ban is similar to measures adopted by the Chinese government, the very threat such a ban purports to protect Americans from. Stated.
“TikTok is banned in China,” Paul said. “We’re thinking – or the people who want to ban it are thinking – wow, by becoming Chinese authoritarians and banning it in our country, we’re really going to defeat the Chinese communists. TikTok is banned in China. So are we going to follow the Chinese communists and ban it in our country?”
“It makes no sense at all,” he added.
Paul also said that some Americans own shares in TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance, and that such a ban would deprive Americans of property without first proving a crime. insisted.
“We know that the Chinese government is asking for it, but we don’t know if the information is actually flowing from TikTok to these people in China,” he said, adding that there is no way to take property away from Americans. He pointed out that a provable crime is required.
Not all lawmakers view the proposed ban this way. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a bill that would give ByteDance 165 days from the date of enactment to sell TikTok or face a ban from U.S. app stores and web hosting services.
House Republicans are introducing the bill through a special rule that requires a two-thirds majority to pass the bill, rather than the simple majority needed to pass most House bills.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the bill’s lead co-sponsor, said Tuesday there is a “great core of bipartisanship” behind it. He expressed confidence that the bill would be passed. Measure.
He noted that the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the bill with an unusually unanimous vote last Thursday.
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