The White House is asking the Senate to swiftly consider legislation passed by the House, which would require TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed satisfaction with the bill's progress, stating, “We are glad to see this bill move forward,” while on Air Force One. The bill was approved by the House. It passed the House with a 352-65 vote earlier on Wednesday.
Jean-Pierre emphasized the importance of the bill and encouraged the Senate to act quickly, in order to address potential threats posed by certain technology services in the U.S., including risks to personal information and national security, and manipulation by foreign powers.
Jean-Pierre stated that the White House hopes the Senate will promptly address the issue and offered to provide technical support for the legislation to ensure its legal validity.
The legislation would require ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the app within approximately five months, or face being banned from U.S. app stores and web hosting services.
Supporters of the bill argue that it is necessary to mitigate national security threats from ByteDance, which they believe may share sensitive data from American users with the Chinese government.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) indicated that the Senate will assess the House-passed bill, but did not commit to bringing it to the floor. noncommittal about bringing the legislation to the floor.
TikTok has denied claims of national security risks and strongly opposed the bill. The Biden campaign uses the app, which is popular with younger Americans. The White House wants the Senate to act quickly on House-passed legislation that would require TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app or see it banned in the U.S. Karine Jean-Pierre expressed satisfaction with the bill’s progress on Air Force One.
