Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called on Thursday to postpone the impending ban on TikTok to give the social media company time to find a U.S. buyer.
“We're not against TikTok. We want TikTok to survive. But we're against the Chinese company that owns TikTok and is colluding with the Chinese Communist Party.” Schumer said During Thursday's floor remarks.
“Unfortunately, there are too many security risks to TikTok today that cannot be ignored. Legislation passed last year aims to keep TikTok available to Americans while separating it from the influence of the Chinese Communist Party. “It was,” he added. “More time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans and so many influencers who have built great networks of followers. is clear.”
The ban, passed by Congress with bipartisan support last April and signed by President Biden, requires TikTok to either withdraw from its Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19th or face national security concerns. Concerns forced him to choose between facing a ban in the United States. Link with China.
Schumer criticized Senate Republicans for blocking new efforts by Senate Democrats to pass legislation to extend the ban, calling the move “astonishing.”
Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) submitted a bill On Wednesday, it extended the ban by another 270 days, arguing that TikTok has built an online community that “cannot be replicated” on another platform.
Markey proposed the measure with unanimous consent in the Senate, but it was quickly blocked by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who warned TikTok to find a buyer and exit ByteDance. He claimed that he had been given “sufficient time.”
“Furthermore, ByteDance and TikTok had been issuing additional warnings about the possibility of such action for years, long before Congress set a firm deadline on Sunday,” he said. senate chamber Wednesday night.
The ban hinges on a Supreme Court ruling that took up TikTok's challenge to the Divestment Act on an expedited timeline. The high court has expressed sympathy for the government's national security concerns, but has not yet issued an opinion on the issue.
Schumer vowed Thursday to continue working to find a solution, saying he would work with the incoming Trump administration and both parties to “keep TikTok viable while protecting our national security.”
