TikTok has vowed to fight legislation that would force its China-based parent company to sell the popular video-sharing app after the House of Representatives tied a bipartisan proposal to major aid packages for Ukraine and Israel. Ta. If they don’t, they face a U.S. ban.
Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, told staff in a memo after Saturday’s vote that the ban is unconstitutional and that TikTok intends to go to court to have it overturned. Ta.
“This is the beginning, not the end of this long process,” Beckerman wrote in the memo. Information reported.
“Once the bill is signed, we intend to go to court for a legal challenge,” he said.
President Biden has said he will sign the bill, which now heads to the Senate, where it could be approved as early as Monday.
Beckerman said the “unconstitutional” ban was the result of an “unprecedented agreement” between House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and Biden.
House Republicans included a ban on TikTok in a massive foreign aid package that includes aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The new bill extends the amount of time ByteDance has to exit TikTok. Originally, the House bill would have required the sale to take place within six months of the law taking effect.
The amendment passed by a vote of 360-58 and is now in the Senate after negotiations to extend the timeline for the company’s sale to nine months, with the possibility of an additional three months if the sale is in progress. being sent.
“The House of Representatives is using the cover of critical foreign and humanitarian aid to reinstate a ban that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, destroy 7 million businesses, and shut down the platforms that contribute to them.” “It’s unfortunate that they’re trying to disrupt TikTok, which brings in $24 billion a year to the U.S. economy,” a TikTok spokesperson told the Post on Monday.
In addition to condemning the proposed ban, TikTok once again directed its U.S. users to flood senators with calls opposing the bill.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s general counsel Eric Andersen, who has been leading the company’s negotiations with the U.S. government, has told colleagues he plans to resign, according to The Information.
In a memo to his fellow executives, Mr. Andersen said he will “remain in this role for the foreseeable future until we are confident that the company is ready to transition to new leadership and that our focus will not decrease.” Note. “
Mr. Andersen wrote that he intends to continue as general counsel at ByteDance after retiring as general counsel.
TikTok has lobbied hard against the bill, but its fierce opposition angered lawmakers on Capitol Hill amid widespread concerns about the threat to U.S. national security.
“We will never stop fighting and advocating for you,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted to the app’s users on the platform last month. Ta.
“We will continue to do everything we can, including enforcing our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform we built together with you.”
