Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge Passage of TikTok Bill Ahead of Floor Vote

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) speaks to the press after a members-only classified briefing on TikTok at the Capitol Visitor Center, on March 12, 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

House lawmakers took part in a classified briefing on TikTok on Tuesday, a day before a House vote on a bipartisan bill aimed at ensuring Americans that the video-sharing app is free from the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The Justice Department, the FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) held the briefing. The TikTok bill that House lawmakers are scheduled to vote on Wednesday is the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (H.R. 7521).

“We’ve answered a lot of questions from members. We had a classified briefing today. So that members can see even more details about what’s at risk and how the CCP can jeopardize the risk to American families,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).

After the briefing, several House lawmakers, including Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chair and ranking member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, respectively, spoke to reporters. The pair and 17 other committee members introduced the TikTok bill on March 5.

Asked if the briefing had swayed his colleagues who may be on the fence over the issue, Mr. Krishnamoorthi said he hoped so, before adding that the meeting was insightful.

“A lot of great questions, and the briefers were well prepared to address this,” Mr. Krishnamoorthi said. “And it’s so clear that the Biden administration feels that this bill, the bill that’s coming up for a vote tomorrow at 10 a.m. is crucial. It’s essential for their ability to adequately balance national security considerations against constitutional rights in the proper manner.”

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If enacted, the legislation would force the app to divest from its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance. If TikTok decides not to do so, app stores will not be allowed to host the app.

Separation from the CCP

Mr. Gallagher said there was a “very sober conversation” during the briefing, adding that a lot of considerations went into the bill.

“What we’ve tried to do here is be very thoughtful and deliberate on balancing the need to force a divestiture from Tiktok without granting any authority to the executive branch, to regulate content or go after any American company,” Mr. Gallagher said.

“The bill doesn’t shut down TikTok and force all of TikTok users onto Facebook,” Mr. Gallagher added. “What we’re after is a separation from TikTok from its parent company ByteDance, and by extension, the CCP. And in that world, TikTok users can continue to use the platform.”

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) also spoke to reporters after the briefing.

Mr. Cohen said he wasn’t sure if he would support the bill on Wednesday, saying he was “still listening” since the bill “is a First Amendment issue.”

The Tennessee lawmaker added that his office had been getting calls from TikTok users who opposed the legislation. TikTok has been uring its American users to call their representatives since last week, in a campaign that Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Krishnamoorthi have previously said is based on a “complete lie.”

“A lot of them are calling, so it’s clogged up the people that want a ceasefire. They’ve overcome the ceasefire,” Mr. Cohen said, referring to people who seek a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Mr. Roy, who is one of the original sponsors of the bill, dismissed questions that the legislation might violate the First Amendment or the Constitution’s bill of attainder clause.

“This is regulating conduct not content. For the most part, it’s focused on the conduct of the actors and they can divest,” Mr. Roy said.

Misinformation on Censorship

Late Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Krishnamoorthi and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) held a press conference with several rights groups advocating the TikTok bill. The groups included the Campaign for Uyghurs, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Democracy Council, Human Rights in China, the Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in America, and the Uyghur American Association.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks in favor of a TikTok divestment bill on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, on March 12, 2024. (Joseph Lord/The Epoch Times)

Ms. Pelosi said she was concerned about misinformation on TikTok about Taiwan, Uyghurs, Hongkongers, and Tibetans.

“And as far as Tibet is concerned, our friends in Tibet, they’ve told me that the Tibetan message is completely suppressed on TikTok, in addition to that, misinformation flowing on TikTok about Tibet,” Ms. Pelosi said.

She emphasized that the legislation is not about violating anybody’s First Amendment rights. “It’s about not having the Chinese government control the data that unknowingly, unwittingly, many of us will be making available to them as we participate ... in TikTok,” she said.

Cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 reported in March 2023 that TikTok was harvesting users’ data, including locations, contacts, and passwords.

“ByteDance uses TikTok to silence our voice. And we should stop this as soon as possible,” said Elfidar Iltebir, president of the Uyghur American Association. “We urge Congress to take action as soon as possible and pass this bill.”

Frances Hui, policy and advocacy coordinator of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, said TikTok had removed content about Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy activist and founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. Mr. Lai, also an outspoken critic of the CCP, has been incarcerated in Hong Kong since December 2020.

Pro-Uyghur protestors call for the passage of the TikTok divestment bill on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, on March 12, 2024. (Joseph Lord/The Epoch Times)

“This bill is an extraordinary action by the United States of America,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) said at the press conference. “The Chinese Communist Party will do everything it can to advance its agenda, it will violate the basic norms that we all expect.”

“I want to thank my colleagues for the good work that we’re doing. We’re all gonna work together tomorrow to make sure that this passes.”

Reuters contributed to this report.