The House overwhelmingly passed a bill that could result in the banning of TikTok in the U.S.
50 Democrats and 15 Republicans voted against the bill including a surprising “no” vote from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga, who pointed out that she had previously been banned from social media. Greene’s vote matched that of Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee. Rep. Himes voted against the bill noting that countries like China “shut down newspapers, broadcast stations, and social media platforms. We do not. We trust our citizens to be worthy of their democracy. We do not trust our government to decide what information they may or may not see.”
TikTok is trying to fight back by stating that the bill violates American’s First Amendment right to enjoy free speech.
The next stop for the bill is the Senate where it might have a harder time getting through. If the Senate does advance the bill, the House and Senate versions will need to be reconciled and the final version of the bill will be sent to the president for his signature. President Biden has already said that if the bill is advanced to his desk, he will sign it.
