House passes bill that would ban TikTok if its Chinese owners don’t sell the popular app

(WASHINGTON) — The House on Wednesday passed bipartisan legislation to force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the wildly popular social media platform or face a ban in the U.S.

If enacted, the bill would give ByteDance six months to divest from TikTok before app stores would start prohibiting access.

The final vote was 352-65, surpassing the two-thirds majority threshold needed to pass the legislation under a suspension of the rules.

The bill passed despite an eleventh-hour lobbying push from TikTok’s supporters and some opposition from former President Donald Trump, who reversed his position on the app.

It’s unclear if it will be welcomed by the same level of support in the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t committed to putting it on the floor.

“The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House,” Schumer said in a statement after the bill’s passage in the House.

President Joe Biden has said if it lands on his desk, he will sign it.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, shortly after his chamber’s successful vote, pressured the Senate to take action.

“Today’s bipartisan vote demonstrates Congress’ opposition to Communist China’s attempts to spy on and manipulate Americans, and signals our resolve to deter our enemies,” Johnson said in a statement. “I urge the Senate to pass this bill and send it to the President so he can sign it into law.”

On Wednesday, two major Senate players formally endorsed the House-passed bill: Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

“We are united in our concern about the national security threat posed by TikTok — a platform with enormous power to influence and divide Americans whose parent company ByteDance remains legally required to do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party,” they said in a joint statement. Still, it remains unclear if there will ultimately be 60 votes to advance the legislation.

In the House vote, 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats voted against the bill. Some notable “no” votes from Democrats include ranking member of House Intelligence Jim Himes, Whip Katherine Clark, ranking member of Rules Committee Jim McGovern, ranking member of Foreign Affairs Gregory Meeks, ranking member of Judiciary Jerrold Nadler, and ranking member of Ways and Means Richard Neal. Opponents have said the bill violates the First Amendment rights of users.

Ahead of the House vote, the lead Republican and Democrat on the effort told ABC News that the potential disinformation and data “risks” the app poses are too ominous to ignore.

“We’ve had instances in the past where TikTok has used the app to spy on journalists, for example, but the broader risk in my mind is having a foreign adversary, in this case, the Chinese Communist Party, control what is increasingly becoming the dominant news platform in America,” Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., said.

“The risk in terms of propaganda, the risk to influence our election are just too severe. That’s not just me talking. That’s every single major national security official from the Biden administration. That’s why we’re seeking a divestiture to guard against those two risks.”

Americans using TikTok “should use it cautiously,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., agreed.

“I don’t have it on my phone. It’s banned from government devices for a reason. But you know, I think you should use it cautiously. My own children don’t have it on their devices, thankfully, and all parents should act accordingly,” he said.

In an hour of debate on the legislation, many lawmakers contended their primary goal was to separate the app from its Chinese parent company for national security reasons, not to ban a very popular app used by more than 170 million Americans.

“This is not an attempt to ban TikTok. It’s an attempt to make TikTok better,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, as she highlighted the positive educational and business values of the app. “Tic-Tac-Toe. A winner. A winner.”

But others in the chamber voiced concern the bill is an infringement on the First Amendment and free speech.

“Americans have the right to view information,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. “We don’t need the government to protect us from information. Some of us just don’t want the president picking which apps we can put on our phones or which websites we can visit.”

ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.