Tuesday, 12 November 2024

JUST IN: House Passes Legislation That Could Potentially Ban TikTok

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The House of Representatives easily passed legislation Saturday that would ban TikTok in the United States if the company's China-based owner refuses to divest.

The measure passed by a 360-58 vote.

“The decision by House Republicans to include TikTok as part of a larger foreign aid package, a priority for President Joe Biden with broad congressional support for Ukraine and Israel, fast-tracked the ban after an earlier version had stalled in the Senate,” the Associated Press noted.

“A standalone bill with a six-month selling deadline passed the House in March by an overwhelming bipartisan vote as both Democrats and Republicans voiced national security concerns about the app’s owner, the Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd,” the outlet added.

“The U.S. House approved a standalone TikTok bill in 2023 but it stalled in the Senate. This time it’s combined with foreign aid, making it more likely to succeed in the Senate. Biden has said he would sign it,” BNO News clarified.

“Another high-profile component of the measure is the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act, which would allow the U.S. government to liquidate seized Russian assets and then give those funds to Ukraine,” FOX Business stated.

From the Associated Press:

Even if the legislation becomes law, though, the company would have up to a year to find a buyer and would likely try to challenge the law in court, arguing it would deprive the app’s millions of users of their First Amendment rights. Court challenges could significantly delay the timeline set out by Congress or block the law from going into effect.

The company lobbied hard against the legislation, pushing the app’s 170 million U.S. users — many of whom are young — to call Congress and voice opposition. But the ferocity of the pushback angered lawmakers on Capitol Hill, where there is broad concern about Chinese threats to the U.S. and where few members use the platform themselves.

“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video that was posted on the platform last month and directed toward the app’s users. “We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you.”

“In the Rules committee, I questioned the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee about the insertion of the REPO Act into Speaker Johnson's foreign aid package. The REPO Act will hurt U.S. taxpayers by making our debt less attractive to foreign investors. I oppose it,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said.

WATCH:

FOX Business reports:

In addition to the aforementioned provisions the legislation also carries sanctions against Palestinian-based terror groups like Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Asqa Martyr’s Brigade, and the Lion’s Den. It also levies sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and process Iranian oil.

But the bill to force Beijing-backed company Bytedance to divest from TikTok is perhaps the most well-known aspect for many Americans, and if the app winds up banned, could have the most immediate effect on millions of people in the U.S. who use it daily.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden, Bytedance would be forced to sell TikTok to either an American company or a company headquartered in a country not hostile to the U.S. within 12 months or face being banned in U.S. app stores.

The initial iteration of the bill, which gave Bytedance six months to divest, passed the House earlier this year but faced uncertain odds in the Senate.


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