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THE United States House of Representatives plans to vote on a bill on Wednesday (Mar 13) that would give TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the short-video app used by about 170 million Americans or face a ban.
The vote is expected around 10 am under fast-track rules that require support by two-thirds of House members for the measure to pass.
The vote comes just over a week since the bill was proposed and after one public hearing with little debate. The House Energy and Commerce Committee last week voted 50-0 in favour of the bill, setting it up for a vote before the full House.
The FBI, Justice Department and Office of the director of national intelligence held a classified briefing for House members on Tuesday.
“We have answered a lot of questions from members. We had a classified briefing today. So that members can see even more details about what is at risk and how the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) can jeopardise the risk to American families,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Some opponents of the legislation, including Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost, think the bill will pass. Frost said many lawmakers who will vote for the bill are motivated by a desire to protect users, which he supports. Frost was among four lawmakers out of the 432-member House that held a press conference opposing the bill.
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“The problem is the process here, the fact that it’s been steamrolled and people really can’t digest the consequences,” Frost said. “I would like to see TikTok ownership changed, but not at the expense of our First Amendment rights, business owners and content creators.”
The fate of the legislation is uncertain in the US Senate, where some senators want to take a different approach. REUTERS
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