The “TikTok divestment bill” faces a rocky road in the Senate after a key Senate Democratic committee chair expressed apprehension about the legislation.
In comments to reporters on Monday, Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., criticized the bill that would force TikTok’s parent company to divest ownership of the popular social media platform or face a ban because of its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Cantwell chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, which would have jurisdiction over the House-passed bill if the Senate Majority Leader refers it to the committee.
The TikTok divestment legislation passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan support in the House—by a 352-65 margin—after the Energy and Commerce Committee had unanimously approved of the measure and sent it to the floor. Since its passage, both GOP and Democratic Senators have announced their support for the measure and the White House has called for swift action.
But, despite the support it has garnered, the passage of the bill also galvanized the opposition, which is being led by TikTok, a coalition of donors and nonprofits, and an unlikely alliance of conservatives and progressives, Just the News reported last week.
President Biden indicated that he will sign the bill if and when it arrives on his desk. Biden previously banned TikTok from the government devices of over 4 million federal employees in 2022, a sign of the perceived dangers of the social media platform.
Monday night Senator Cantwell told reporters she thinks the TikTok bill “could be better,” warning that it may not stand up to legal scrutiny if its signed into law. The senator explained her concerns that the bill represents an effort by Congress to determine what constitutes a threat rather than delegating the authority to the executive branch—which she believes is a more legally sound way to legislate on TikTok.
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