Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says the lower chamber of Congress will fiercely pressure the Senate to approve the bipartisan bill targeting TikTok.
The bill — which would force Chinese company Bytedance to divest from the social media app or ban it entirely — sailed through the House of Representatives easily yesterday with a 352-65 bipartisan vote.
Its future in the Senate is unknown, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has remained uncommitted to the idea of bringing it to the floor.
‘Let’s see what the House does,’ Schumer told reporters on Tuesday before the bill’s success in the lower chamber. ‘I’ll have to consult — and intend to consult — with my relevant committee chairmen to see what their views would be.’
The overwhelming bipartisan support for the bill thus far will make it difficult for Schumer and other senators to ignore.
‘We’re gonna apply every amount of pressure that we can because we think that that’s the right thing,’ Johnson told the New York Post just hours after the successful vote.
President Biden has publicly stated he would sign the proposed TikTok divestment legislation if it reached his desk.
By contrast, former President Donald Trump shocked both parties by completely flipping his views on the app since his term in the Oval Office. He urged against the bill, claiming it would only empower other tech giants such as Facebook.
The bill was led in the lower chamber by House China select committee Chair Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.
TikTok’s critics have long warned that the social media app poses a national security threat. Lawmakers have cited concerns about the Chinese government’s ability to leverage its power over Bytedance to access sensitive user data.
China hawks have also warned that the app’s popularity among young Americans gives the ruling Chinese Communist Party a platform for a mass influence campaign.