Ban on TikTok on government devices faces uncertain prospects in House
Christopher Hutton
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A ban on installing TikTok on government devices is just a House vote away from President Joe Biden’s desk, but the lower chamber may not have time this year to pass it.
The Senate passed a ban on TikTok on government devices unanimously on Wednesday, leaving the decision in the hands of the House and the president. While many lawmakers have been skeptical of TikTok due to its connections to China, the shrinking window of time before this Congress ends and Republicans take over in the House makes it unclear if the bill would get a vote.
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“We’re going to push hard to get it passed, but it will all come down to how much floor time is left for the year,” a staff aide involved in the process told the Washington Examiner.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was more hesitant. “We’re checking with the administration, just in terms of language, not in terms of being opposed to the idea,” she said on Thursday, according to Reuters. “I don’t know that [the bill] will be on the agenda next week, but it’s very, very important.”
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House Republicans were eager to vote on the legislation, which had been proposed by Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO).
“House Republicans are ready to send a bill to President Biden’s desk that would ban TikTok on government devices,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted. “Speaker Pelosi — who claims to be tough on China — should immediately allow an up-or-down vote.”
TikTok has been under heavy scrutiny from lawmakers over its parent company ByteDance’s connection to the Chinese Communist Party. Sen. Marco Rubio submitted a bill on Tuesday that would ban TikTok in the United States.