The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest the popular app or be banned in the U.S.
Republicans backing the bill largely dismissed concerns about Trump’s backlash swaying the party from passing the bill.
House Republicans are bringing up the bill through a special rule that requires a two-thirds majority to pass the measure, rather than the simple majority needed to pass most House bills.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and lead co-sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday there is a “great bipartisan core” behind the measure.
He specifically praised Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), the chair and ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which advanced the bill in a rare unanimous vote Thursday.
The duo “did God’s work working together. Leadership is there, the White House is there, it seems to be lining up, I just want a big vote on Wednesday so the Senate is forced to take it up,” Gallagher said.
McMorris Rodgers said she is “hopeful” the bill will pass tomorrow in a floor vote.
The Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would give ByteDance 165 days from the day it is enacted to divest TikTok or face a ban on U.S. app stores and web hosting services.
Trump, who failed to ban the app while in office in 2020, has spoken out against the latest effort in interviews and on his Truth Social platform.
Trump’s comments opposing the bill came after he confirmed he recently met with Jeff Yass, a major GOP donor and investor in TikTok. Trump said Yass did not bring up TikTok during the conversation.
Along with Trump and others on the right, the bill is also facing opposition from some members on the left.
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) said the bill imposes limits on free speech and that the process is being rushed. He said Congress should work on legislation that aims to protect Americans’ data from foreign adversaries and domestic companies.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
