What to know about the House TikTok ban
- The House passed a bill today that could ban TikTok in the U.S. The bill had widespread support from both sides of the aisle but was opposed by some prominent Democrats and Republicans who largely cited free speech concerns.
- The bill's future in the Senate is less clear, as many lawmakers have said they are still evaluating it and may make changes. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill.
- Former President Donald Trump had initially supported banning TikTok but reversed support in recent days.
- The bill has faced strong pushback from influencers and other content creators who have said the ban would destroy their businesses. Some lawmakers have raised concerns that banning an app that is popular with young people in an election year could create political problems.
No. 2 House Democrat explains no vote
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., on why she voted “no” on the TikTok bill: “I have serious concerns about data security, but I’m opposed to the Republican fast-tracking of this bill while they actively obstruct urgent national security emergency funding — refusing to oppose Putin’s tyranny and stand with our ally Ukraine.”
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., voted “yes.”
AOC sends fundraising note after House vote
Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who voted against the TikTok bill, has circulated a fundraising note to constituents following the House vote.
"The House just passed a bill to force TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, to split from its China-based parent company or be effectively banned in the US," the release said.
The note cited a post on X from Ocasio-Cortez, one of the youngest members of the House, from before today's vote, in which she explained her no vote.
"This bill was incredibly rushed, from committee to vote in 4 days, with little explanation," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in the post on X.
Schiff votes yes, breaking with other NorCal members
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., voted in support of the TikTok bill, breaking with some of his colleagues who represent congressional districts in Northern California such as Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell, Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna.
Schiff advanced to the general election in California’s Senate race last week, beating his Democratic colleagues, Lee and Rep. Katie Porter, in the state’s top-two primary. Porter also voted against the bill.
The vote by Schiff, who is considered a front-runner in the California Senate race, aligns with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s support of the TikTok bill. Pelosi has endorsed Schiff’s Senate bid for the seat once held by the Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
These poll numbers help explain why the Biden campaign joined TikTok
Biden’s re-election campaign has joined TikTok, even though sources had said the campaign wouldn’t formally use the social media platform.
Numbers from January's NBC News poll may help explain the reversal, because they show Biden struggling with young TikTok users, especially compared with young voters who don’t use the platform.
The findings are consistent with results from the November NBC News poll, as well as with other polls showing Biden’s struggles with younger voters.
The January poll also measured the share of voters who say they use TikTok once a day or more — 22% of voters, including 43% of voters aged 18-34.
Why did the House vote to ban TikTok?
The House voted 352-65 to pass a bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S. In the lead-up to the vote, lawmakers argued that the popular social media app, which is owned by the China-based company ByteDance, represents a national security threat.
House members raised concerns that the Chinese government could demand access to the data of TikTok users in America and spread harmful content. Meanwhile, some policymakers and outside experts have sounded the alarm about TikTok's effects on youth mental health.
TikTok has repeatedly denied that it is an organ of the Chinese government, and the company has insisted that it has never shared American user data with Chinese officials.
Rep. Gallagher celebrates his bill passing
Gallagher shows off the cookie cake given to him and staff by GOP leadership for passing the bill. It’s a tradition that Scalise does.
Gallego, active TikTok user, votes 'no'
Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat running for Arizona's Senate seat who actively posts on TikTok, voted against the bill.
"As the ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, I know all too well the threat China poses here at home — banning TikTok and limiting the freedoms of Arizonans before exploring other options is not the answer," Gallego said.
"It's vital we find a balance that both protects our national security interests and respects our fundamental rights. This is not that,” he added.
Jeffries: House passed TikTok bill in ‘decisive and bipartisan fashion’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reiterated his support of the TikTok bill as the legislation heads to the Senate.
“The House passed the bill in a decisive and bipartisan fashion and it’s now appropriate for the Senate to evaluate the merits of the legislation,” he said during a news briefing after the House passed the bill.
Jeffries stressed that the legislation itself did not outright ban TikTok but simply required the app’s divestiture from its China-based owner, ByteDance, so that it could be “owned by an American company that would protect the data and the privacy of the American consumer from malignant foreign interests like the Chinese Communist Party.”
Asked whether the Senate should delay the TikTok bill until the House passes the bipartisan national security bill that Republicans had killed, Jeffries deferred to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“Who am I to tell the Senate what to do in terms of its own agenda?” he said. “You know, there’s a process: They pass bills, send it over to us for consideration. We pass bills and send it over to him. The ball is now in the court of the senators, and I trust Leader Chuck Schumer.”
Pressed on whether he shares concerns that the process behind the TikTok bill was rushed, Jeffries said his earlier statement announcing his support for the bill indicated that there were “very principal objections and concerns raised by members with respect to timing and process and I have no disagreement with them.”
Jeffries also expressed confidence that TikTok will remain available to its users when asked whether he is concerned about a potential backlash from young voters in response to the House’s passage of the bill.
“I don’t support a TikTok ban and I have every confidence in the world that whatever the course that this legislation takes as it goes over to the Senate, that TikTok will remain available to those who continue to enjoy the platform at this very moment,” he said.
Gallagher credits Trump for victory, even though Trump opposes bill
When asked by reporters about Trump's influence on today's vote, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who chairs the House Select Committee on China, said, "A lot of these processes started with the president, the former president, in 2020, trying to tackle the national security threat posed by ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok."
"Trump may, if he gets re-elected, have an opportunity to consummate the deal of the century," Gallagher added.
Trump had previously supported a TikTok ban but recently changed his mind and now opposes it.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, first Gen Z member of Congress, voted against ban
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., who at 27 years old is both the youngest and the first Gen Z member of Congress, voted against the ban. He cited First Amendment concerns and said the bill "won’t fix the serious issues we have with data privacy."