US House panel approves bill allowing Joe Biden to ban Chinese app TikTok nationwide

The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which is used by more than 100 million Americans. The bill, H.R. 1153, was sponsored by Republican committee chair Michael McCaul and passed along partisan lines with a vote of 24-16, as per a report from Sputnik.  “Currently the courts have questioned the administration’s authority to sanction TikTok. My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security,” said Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul to Axios. 

The legislation will now advance to the full House for consideration, though its fate remains uncertain. A ban would require passage by both the House and the Senate before it can be signed into law by the president. During the debate on the bill, McCaul argued that TikTok poses a national security threat and that it is time to act. "Many Americans do not realize one of the greatest surveillance efforts from [China] has been silently gathering personal data in their pockets," he said.

Democrats opposing the legislation?

However, the top Democrat on the committee, Gregory Meeks, strongly opposed the legislation, warning that it would "damage our allegiances across the globe, bring more companies into China's sphere, destroy jobs here in the United States, and undercut core American values of free speech and free enterprise." It is worth flagging that Biden is a Democrat and the top Democrat on the committee is opposing the bill. It is the Republicans who want to help Biden ban TikTok. 

Gregory Meeks told Axios that Democrats in the Senate will oppose the bill, just like Democrats in the committee. The bill needs bipartisan support to pass the Senate, as the Republicans don't have enough seats. It is worth highlighting that over the years, there has been some concern about the hold Beijing has on certain politicians in the US. 

TikTok has faced scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and regulators over concerns that the app could be used by the Chinese government to access sensitive information about American citizens. The company has repeatedly denied these allegations and has implemented measures to protect user data.

If the bill becomes law, it would mark a significant escalation in the U.S. government's efforts to counter China's influence in the tech industry. However, it is unclear whether the legislation will garner enough support to pass in the House and Senate, particularly given the contentious nature of the debate around TikTok's role in U.S.-China relations.