The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced a bill Thursday that would require TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest the app or face a U.S. ban.
The “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” advanced out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support just two days after it was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Although Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the Energy and Commerce ranking member, raised concerns about “how rushed this process has been,” he said he was in support of the bill with the aim of it forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok and allow users in the U.S. to continue to use it.
The aim of the bill is to mitigate national security concerns over whether the Chinese government could access the personal data of Americans who use TikTok through ByteDance.
The committee heard from members of the intelligence community at a classified hearing Thursday morning before the vote on the bill.
TikTok has pushed back strongly on allegations that it poses national security risks based on its ownership by a Chinese parent company.
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