WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Democrats and Republicans in Congress are teaming up to take on TikTok.
A new bipartisan bill threatens to ban the popular social media app in the U.S. unless it completely removes itself from its Chinese-based parent company.
“Think of this as a surgery designed to remove the tumor and thereby save the patient,” said U.S. Rep Mike Gallagher, (R-Wis.)
“It’s a choice for ByteDance,” said U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D-Ill.).
Krishnamoorthi and Gallagher warn the Chinese Communist Party has too much influence over ByteDance, which owns TikTok. During the bill’s unveiling Wednesday, Krishnamoorthi showed how its editor-in-chief is also a member of the CCP.
“So whenever ByteDance says it’s not controlled by the CCP, that’s false,” he said.
Many other lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, (R-Texas), agree that ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok threatens national security, especially since the app has become a major news source for users.
“We should have technology like this not being controlled by the CCP or our adversaries,” Roy said.
However, some lawmakers worry this bill won’t hold up in court because it targets a specific company.
“This is about that ownership structure and that framework, not about going after a particular company,” Gallagher said.
Still, TikTok calls the bill an “outright ban.” A company spokesperson said it would violate Americans’ First Amendment rights and hurt small businesses’ ability to grow.
“This bill is not a ban,” Krishnamoorthi said.
“We don’t see this as banning these apps,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “That’s not what this is.”
But it is complicated. The White House helped craft the bill, and President Biden supports it. However, his reelection campaign also recently got on TikTok.
A House committee plans to give the bill its first vote Thursday. If passed and signed into law, ByteDance would have roughly six months to divest from TikTok.
Previous efforts in Congress to implement an outright ban on TikTok didn’t have White House backing.
Lawmakers have passed legislation that now bans the app from government phones.
