House Panel Advances Bill to Force ByteDance to Sell TikTok

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 50-0 on March 7 to approve a bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if China’s ByteDance doesn't divest the popular social media application.

Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who introduced the bill, said in a joint statement after the committee vote that they hope the legislation will move quickly to the full House for its consideration.

Proponents of the bill have said the Chinese government could use ByteDance to access sensitive personal data collected by TikTok (see 2403050063). They also accuse TikTok of spreading dangerous propaganda for China.

Despite the unanimous committee vote, the bill has critics, including TikTok, which has argued that the legislation would “trample” American free-speech rights. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has said he is concerned the legislation might be unconstitutional because it would punish a specific company without due process (see 2403060079).

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters March 6 that the Biden administration welcomes congressional interest in the matter but believes the bill “still needs some work" to put it on a solid legal footing.