(GoRealNewsNow.com) – BREAKING NOW: Just a short while ago, United States Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who also serves as the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, got bad news.
Specifically, Schumer is about to face intense pressure to schedule a vote on TikTok’s fate shortly after the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill by a wide margin that could completely ban the China-based video-sharing app.
While Schumer has not disclosed whether he will bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote, the legislation mandates that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, headquartered in China, must sell its stake within six months or face a prohibition in the United States.
Earlier today, the House passed the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” with a 352-65 vote.
The House’s decisive and bipartisan support, surpassing the two-thirds majority needed for approval, increases the urgency and pressure for Schumer to act on a bill many politicos believe Schumer does not favor. So, it is uncertain if the Senate will mirror the House’s enthusiastic endorsement.
Matt Gorman, a political consultant and former advisor to Senator Tim Scott, commented on the situation, stating, “It’s hard to ignore such a lopsided vote as we saw in the House today if you’re Schumer. I have a hard time, in light of the overwhelming House vote, to see how it’s politically tenable to withhold – especially when Biden has already said he’d sign it.”
Before the vote, an advocate working to persuade Congress to approve the bill told The Post that the significant House victory might compel Schumer to consider the bill. However, Schumer’s position on this issue remains uncertain on Capitol Hill.
A source indicated, “No one really knows his view. I think he hasn’t decided.”
President Biden has indicated his willingness to sign the House bill should it reach his desk. In contrast, Donald Trump, his Republican adversary, expressed opposition to a TikTok ban, arguing it would unfairly benefit Facebook’s parent company, Meta.
TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, who reports to ByteDance in Beijing, has described the bill as an effective ban and is reportedly gearing up for an intense legal challenge should the bill become law.
The Biden administration’s Justice Department, particularly Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, influenced the bill’s language to counter TikTok’s anticipated legal efforts to thwart it, as the Wall Street Journal reported.
A Democratic insider noted significant covert support from the Justice Department for a forced sale of TikTok.
When questioned about the bill’s passage in the House on Wednesday, Schumer was noncommittal, merely stating that the “Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House,” without specifying a timeline.
Just a day earlier, the New York Democrat mentioned he would consult with “relevant committee chairmen to see what their views would be.”
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