Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, the chair of a key Senate committee, is pursuing a different – and more complex – TikTok plan than the bill that passed the GOP-led House, the latest indication that cracking down on the popular app faces a convoluted path to President Joe Biden’s desk this election year.
It’s also not clear if Democrats, who control the Senate and the White House, really have the will to take action against TikTok, which has 170 million users in the United States, many who are young voters who could be angered by a ban and may take it out on the many Democratic incumbents on the ballot this year.
There are now two main approaches being considered in the Senate, according to senators and aides involved in the issue.
- The first, and simplest, would be to pass the House bill. But critics warn the House approach could have constitutional pitfalls because the legislation specifically names the companies targeted by it and therefore could eventually be thrown out in court.
- The second approach is a remedy proposed by Cantwell of Washington, the chair of Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, who wants to create a durable process that could apply to foreign entities beyond TikTok who might pose national security risks.
“The whole point here is you have a dilemma. You want free speech, but you also want the United States to have the ability to protect US citizens or US military from foreign actors who might be deleterious in what they are using as a tool of communication,” she said.
Cantwell, whose committee would have the main jurisdiction over the issue, is still developing the proposal, a sign that it could take weeks or months to negotiate and take away from the political strength the House bill has after a big bipartisan vote in its favor.
Source: www.cnn.com