Washington — Sen. Maria Cantwell, a key senator who has held up laws regulating TikTok endorsed the Home’s newest model of a measure that might result in a ban of the social media app within the U.S.
Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, introduced her assist late Wednesday for an up to date measure that may power TikTok’s Chinese language guardian firm to divest of the broadly common short-form video platform inside one 12 months.
The laws is included in Home Speaker Mike Johnson’s four-part overseas help plan, which additionally includes wartime help for Ukraine and Israel. The up to date model extends the six-month window ByteDance must promote its stake within the firm or lose entry to app shops and web-hosting providers within the U.S. to 9 months, with the opportunity of a three-month extension.
Cantwell, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, opposed the unique model of the Defending Individuals from International Adversary Managed Functions Act, which sailed by way of the Home in March with bipartisan assist however has confronted headwinds within the slower-moving Senate over plenty of considerations. Modifying the divestment deadline alleviated at the very least a kind of points.
“I am very pleased that Speaker Johnson and Home leaders integrated my advice to increase the ByteDance divestment interval from six months to a 12 months,” Cantwell stated in a press release. “As I’ve stated, extending the divestment interval is important to make sure there’s sufficient time for a brand new purchaser to get a deal performed. I assist the up to date laws.”
A spokesperson for Cantwell didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark about whether or not the senator’s different considerations have been addressed within the up to date invoice, together with whether or not it may survive authorized scrutiny.
Assist from Cantwell clears one hurdle that different TikTok-related measures have failed to beat. However some lawmakers have questioned the invoice’s constitutionality, making it seemingly different points may emerge.
The up to date invoice included within the plan unveiled by Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, earlier this week pairs the pressured TikTok divestment with new sanctions on Iran, China and Russia. The three remaining payments would offer $26 billion to assist Israel, $61 billion to bolster Ukraine and $8 billion to counter China within the Indo-Pacific.
