The “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” advanced out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.
The bill’s advancement came just two days after it was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Although Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the Energy and Commerce ranking member, raised concerns about “how rushed this process has been,” he said he supported the bill with the aim of it forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok and allow users in the U.S. to continue to use it.
The aim of the bill is to mitigate national security concerns over whether the Chinese government could access the personal data of Americans who use TikTok through ByteDance.
The committee heard from members of the intelligence community at a classified hearing Thursday morning before the vote on the bill.
TikTok has pushed back strongly on allegations that it poses national security risks based on its ownership by a Chinese parent company.
A TikTok spokesperson said the legislation has a “predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States.”
“The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country,” the spokesperson said.
The vote followed a notification push from TikTok that urged users to call members to clock the bill.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
