Several US senators They want the Senate to take its time deciding whether to support a House bill. that would force the Chinese company ByteDance to divest from the social network TikTok within six months or face suspension.
The House voted 352-65 on Wednesday, just eight days after the proposal was introduced. There is broad support in the Senate for taking steps to address national security threats from foreign apps like TikTok, but there is no agreement on the appropriate approach.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said in an interview with Reuters that wants legislation to address general concerns about foreign apps that will hold up in court and she's not sure the House bill goes far enough.
“Probably within a week we'll have a clearer idea of what the options are,” Cantwell said. “Of course we want the strongest tool possible and we want it to be the most robust tool we can get.” Cantwell said he has thought about holding hearings.
Sen. Ron Wyden, a top Democrat on technology issues, said he is still reviewing the House bill and has “serious questions about any application that allows the Chinese government to access the private data of Americans.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, told Bloomberg News that the bill should be open to a “complete amendment process”, which could significantly delay any action.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said only the Senate will review the legislation, and he has not given a timetable for action. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew He went to the Capitol on Thursday to celebrate his second day of meetings with senators.
In a video posted Wednesday on TikTok that has received more than 25 million views in less than a day, he said the legislation, if it becomes law, “will lead to the ban of TikTok in the United States and take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses, putting 300,000 American jobs at risk.”
Some senators oppose the House bill, like Republicans Rand Paul and Mike Leebut many others have expressed support for quick action.
