BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that could ban the video app TikTok in the United States if the app's China-based owner does not sell its stakes in the social media platform.
Following the March 13 vote passing the bill in the U.S. House, Idaho congressional leaders appeared to share congressional concerns and expressed agreement with the decision. Of Idaho's two House Representatives, only one voted on the 'TikTok ban' bill.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company, ByteDance Ltd. Critics of TikTok see it as a national security threat, claiming that the Chinese government is capable of forcing ByteDance to share American users' data collected via the app - thus creating the bill, H.R.7521 titled “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” won in the U.S. House by a 352-65 vote.
Representative Mike Simpson missed Wednesday's vote due to a "previously scheduled medical procedure," according to a statement from Simpson's office.
However, the statement clarified that although not present, Simpson would have voted in favor of the bill and that he was "pleased to see the bipartisan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act pass the House."
Representative Russ Fulcher voted a "yea" in support of the ban.
Although Idaho Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo have yet to cast their votes, KTVB has obtained some indication from their offices as to which direction they are leaning.
The communications director for Senator Risch said in a statement, "Senator Risch has long voiced concerns about TikTok given the CCP's ability to control the app. He voiced these concerns, specifically emphasizing the CCP's ability to influence children, in a letter he sent to the FTC in July." CCP stands for "Chinese Communist Party."
The Office of Mike Crapo did not reveal any information to KTVB regarding how Senator Crapo will vote on the TikTok bill. A representative from his office stated that Senator Crapo would review the legislation on the Senate floor prior to casting his vote.
The senators will vote on the bill when it formally goes before the U.S. Senate.
Upon the bill's favorable vote in the U.S. House, it now moves on to the U.S. Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has yet to indicate when that vote will occur.
If passed in the Senate, the bill will then require President Joe Biden's signed approval before becoming law. The bill would ban TikTok if ByteDance doesn’t sell its stakes within six months of the bill’s enactment.
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