US Senate passes bill to force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban of the app

Legislation, packaged with major foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, now heads to President Joe Biden, who has vowed to sign it into law

Vote by a margin of 79-18 follows months of congressional fast-tracking and lobbying over app with more than 175 million American users

Reading Time:4 minutes

99+

Supporters of TikTok rallying against the legislation outside the US Capitol last month. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Published: 9:29am, 24 Apr 2024Updated: 10:55am, 24 Apr 2024

The US Congress took a decisive step late Tuesday to force ByteDance, the Chinese owner of popular social media app TikTok, to divest its US operations within a year or potentially face a nationwide ban.

The sell-or-be-banned measure cleared the US Senate by a margin of 79-18, garnering strong bipartisan support by including the legislation in a broader foreign-aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan worth US$95.3 billion.

“Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression,” US President Joe Biden said after final passage.

Biden has vowed to sign the bill into law Wednesday – even though his campaign joined TikTok to court young voters ahead of a presumed rematch for the White House this fall with his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, voted in favour of the legislation. Photo: Senate Television via AP

The House on Saturday passed the legislation 360 to 58, attaching it to the sweeping foreign-aid bill.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x