House passes bill that could lead to a TikTok ban; fight shifts to the Senate

March 14, 2024

The House approved a bill Wednesday that calls for China tech giant ByteDance to divest TikTok or the popular social video app will effectively be banned in the U.S. The measure passed with a resounding 352-65 vote and with one member voting present. The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces an uncertain future as senators appear divided about the legislation, and other federal and state-led efforts to ban TikTok have stalled. "This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it's a ban," a TikTok spokesperson said after the vote was passed. "This legislation, if signed into law, will lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States, even the bill sponsors admit that that's their goal."