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Joe Biden said the national security package sent to the Senate over the weekend sends a ‘clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage’.
US lawmakers have made a second attempt to force TikTok owner ByteDance to sell its stake in the app or risk a ban in the country.
Last month, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that calls for TikTok to separate its US assets from Chinese-controlled ByteDance as concerns grow in political circles that the Chinese government may have access to user data of more than 170m US citizens who use the app. The bill was sent to the Senate for approval, a move that is still pending.
In a national security package passed with bipartisan support on Saturday (20 April), the House is trying to fast-track a Senate decision on the divest-or-ban move by clubbing it with other, more urgent issues, such as foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Sudan and Haiti amid conflicts and natural disasters in those regions.
Unlike the previous standalone bill that gave ByteDance only six months to divest, the new one extends that timeframe to nine months. Moreover, the TikTok move is part of a wider foreign aid package that most lawmakers view as time-sensitive, making another Senate stalling less likely.
US president Joe Biden said that the bill sends “a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage”.
“At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call, passing urgently needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure,” he said. “I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law, and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs.”
TikTok has reiterated its stance that a ban in the US would be detrimental to free speech and small businesses.
A spokesperson for the company said in response to the latest bill that the platform contributes $24bn to the US economy annually. While a significant sum, this is unlikely to deter lawmakers as the foreign aid package passed over the weekend amounts to $61bn.
Today, members of both parties in the House of Representatives voted to advance our national security interests by passing urgently needed legislation delivering critical support to Israel and Ukraine, and aid for those impacted by conflict and disasters around the world.
I urge…
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 20, 2024
Those in favour of the divestment have argued that Chinese law could compel companies such as TikTok to hand over data to the country’s government and pose a national security risk in the US. The threat of a ban has been on the table for some time, as TikTok confirmed last year that it was issued an ultimatum by US officials to adjust its ownership.
If passed by the Senate and signed into law by Biden, the bill will give ByteDance roughly nine months to divest TikTok and avoid the national ban. The company will have an additional three months to complete the sale if one has been agreed.
Multiple governments around the world have shared concerns about TikTok’s connection with China’s government, with many nations banning government staff from accessing the app as a result.
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