US House passes bills to aid Ukraine, bolster Taiwan, threaten TikTok ban
- ByteDance, the Beijing-based owner of the popular short-video app, would be forced to sell it within a year if the Senate also approves
- The other bills include US$60 billion in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, US$26 billion for Israel and US$8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region
Legislation that could ban TikTok in the US unless it cuts ties with its Chinese parent company cleared the House of Representatives 360-58 on Saturday and is on a path to be quickly signed into law.
The proposal, which was included in a package of four bills voted on during a rare weekend session, would ban the popular short-video app nationwide if its Beijing-based owner ByteDance does not divest it within a year.
The catch-all foreign policy bill containing the TikTok proposal also tackles China’s role in fentanyl and sanctions evasion and restricts data brokers from sending sensitive American data to foreign adversaries.
Three other bills, which include US$60 billion in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, US$26 billion for Israel and US$8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, also passed with similar margins.
While the House took separate votes on the four bills, they are expected to be bundled together as one package to send to the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Saturday that the chamber will take up the package next week, with the first vote on Tuesday. The Senate was initially scheduled to be in recess next week.
US President Joe Biden has said he would sign the package, a move that would end months of stalemate over whether the US would fund Ukraine and Israel.