Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced on Wednesday that she will vote against a law that would make TikTok’s China-based parent company sell the app or be banned in the U.S.
“I’m saying NO to the TikTok forced sale bill,” Ocasio-Cortez stated in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “This bill was very rushed, going from committee to vote in 4 days, with little explanation.”
“There are serious antitrust and privacy concerns here, and any national security worries should be shared with the public before a vote,” she added.
The bill, which the House is set to vote on Wednesday morning, was introduced last week. The Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced the “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” just two days later.
The legislation would give TikTok’s parent company ByteDance 165 days from the day it is enacted to divest from the popular video-based social media app or face a ban in U.S. app stores and web hosting services.
President Biden said Friday that he would sign the legislation if Congress passes it. The White House has described the bill as “an important and welcome step” to address potential data privacy and national security risks posed by the app.
“The Administration has worked with Members of Congress from both parties to arrive at a durable legislative solution that would address the threat of technology services operating in the United States in a way that poses risks to Americans’ sensitive data and our broader national security,” a National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement last week.
