US 'TikTok Sale Bill' Nears Senate Approval... House Vote Scheduled for 20th

Vote on Ukraine and Israel Support Budget
Sale Period Extended from 6 Months to 1 Year

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is scheduled to hold a vote on the TikTok divestment bill in the plenary session on the 20th (local time), Bloomberg reported on the 17th.

Speaker Mike Johnson plans to proceed with the TikTok divestment bill vote alongside the emergency aid budget vote for Ukraine and Israel.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Bloomberg stated, "This bill faced bipartisan opposition in the Senate," adding, "If included in the foreign aid package, it could pass the Senate through limited debate."

If it passes the Senate, President Joe Biden is expected to sign it quickly to enact the bill. President Biden has previously raised security concerns regarding TikTok.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill requiring TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to divest TikTok's U.S. operations within six months due to national security concerns; otherwise, TikTok would be banned in the U.S.

Initially, ByteDance was required to divest TikTok within six months, but Bloomberg cited sources reporting that the bill now allows a grace period of up to one year. If the deadline is extended, the divestment deadline will pass the November presidential election.

In the Senate, deliberations on the bill were delayed due to disagreements over whether banning TikTok ahead of the election would infringe on freedom of expression and conflict with the First Amendment, as well as concerns about the livelihoods of TikTok creators.

Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican Leader, urged the passage of the bill, stating that TikTok threatens U.S. national security.

Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, agreed with the bill but indicated that the forced divestment deadline could be extended from six months to one year. She also pointed out the precedent of the Trump administration's failure to ban TikTok in 2020.

If the bill passes Congress, TikTok is expected to take legal action. Earlier last month, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that TikTok might file a lawsuit against the U.S. administration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.