The House passed a bill Wednesday that could lead to a TikTok ban, though the legislation’s fate is uncertain in the Senate where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., seemed noncommittal on taking up the lower chamber’s version.
“Let’s see what the House does,” he said. “I’ll have to consult and intend to consult with my relevant committee chairmen to see what their views would be.”
The House bill would lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake.
The bill, passed by a vote of 352-65, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.
TikTok, which has more than 150 million American users, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd.
House passage of the bill is only the first step. The Senate would also need to pass the measure and for President Joe Biden to sign it for it to become law.
Lawmakers in Senate indicated it would undergo a thorough review.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters the Senate would likely take up the bill “and amend it and say we’ve come up with some areas where we think it needs improvement.
“My concern is that if you try to deal with this by name, you’re playing a game of whack-a-mole, because what’s TikTok today, next week it’s TokTik or TicTak or whatever. We do things slowly over here, and this takes time.”
President Biden has said if Congress passes the measure, he will sign it.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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