With the House passing a bipartisan bill Wednesday that could lead to a nationwide ban on the popular video sharing app TikTok, the spotlight now shifts to the Senate.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said his colleagues in the House will "apply every amount of pressure" to see it approved by the upper chamber and send it to President Joe Biden's desk.
"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, according to The Hill.
Earlier Wednesday, the House passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act 352-65. The bill seeks to force ByteDance, the parent owner of TikTok which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, to either divest its interests or see the app get banned in the U.S.
Passage in the Senate is unknown, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., telling reporters Tuesday, "Let's see what the House does," according to The Hill.
"I'll have to consult and intend to consult with my relevant committee chairmen to see what their views would be," he added.
Although some House Republicans such as Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., voted against the bill, Johnson voted for it.
"There were some arguments made on the floor today by a few people who are opposed to it suggested that it [is] somehow a violation of the First Amendment," Johnson said. "I mean, I'm a constitutional lawyer, this is not about the content, it's about the conduct and I think it's a serious and direct threat for our national security. And I think it merited being handled in that way."
President Biden has said he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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