A potential US ban against TikTok took a major step toward becoming reality on Saturday as House lawmakers approved a hot-button bill targeting the app as part of a wide-ranging aid package for Israel and Ukraine.
The bipartisan vote of 360-58 marks the latest defeat for TikTok in Washington, as the embattled social media company with 170 million US users fights for survival under its current ownership by ByteDance, its Chinese parent company.
The bill passed by the House this weekend closely resembles an earlier version approved in March that would ban TikTok from US app stores unless it finds a new owner, and quickly.
By attaching the TikTok bill to funding for Ukrainian military equipment and Israeli missile defense, House Republicans put the pressure on Senate lawmakers to consider the whole package in a single up-or-down vote.
Policy analysts expect the Senate to take up the aid package quickly, giving it high odds of passage. And President Joe Biden has previously said he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reaches his desk.
The fast-tracking of the TikTok bill shows how policy priorities outside the company’s control have merged to create a potent and potentially devastating outcome for an app that’s beloved by many young Americans but that US officials say is a national security risk.
