How VA House Lawmakers Voted On TikTok Ban

VIRGINIA — Most of the Virginia congressional delegation voted with the majority Wednesday on a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn't sell.

Ten members of the House from Virginia voted for the ban, while Rep. Gerry Connolly (Democrat, 11th District), was unable to attend the vote, but issued a statement saying he opposed the measure because it censors free speech and expression.

"Be it books or apps, I err staunchly on the side of caution when it comes to government-mandated bans on any kind of information sharing. I understand the concerns surrounding TikTok and the desire to protect Americans and their data from the Chinese Communist Party," Connolly said. "To that end, I do believe that ByteDance should divest from TikTok. But I do not believe Congress should be in the business of singling out individual companies by name and bypassing the usual systems put in place to regularize this process."

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States should investigate ByteDance and TikTok and adjudicate the threats posed by foreign ownership of TikTok, he said.

“I agree in full with the Washington Post Editorial Board, who said ‘the government ought to set itself a high bar for dictating to Americans where they can and can’t express themselves. This bill would place it too low.’ We must trust Americans with their democracy."

Voting for the ban are Democrats Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, Robert C. Scott, Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton, along with Republicans Ben Cline, Bob Good, Morgan Griffith, Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman.

The House of Representatives 352-65 vote came as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company's current ownership structure is a national security threat. It now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.

TikTok, which has more than 150 million American users, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd.

The lawmakers contend that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok’s consumers in the U.S. any time it wants. The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering.

“We have given TikTok a clear choice,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R-WA). “Separate from your parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party), and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences. The choice is TikTok's.”

House passage of the bill is only the first step. The Senate would also need to pass the measure for it to become law, and lawmakers in that chamber indicated it would undergo a thorough review. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he'll have to consult with relevant committee chairs to determine the bill's path.

President Joe Biden has said if Congress passes the measure, he will sign it.

The House vote is poised to open a new front in the long-running feud between lawmakers and the tech industry. Members of Congress have long been critical of tech platforms and their expansive influence, often clashing with executives over industry practices. But by targeting TikTok, lawmakers are singling out a platform popular with millions of people, many of whom skew younger, just months before an election.

Opposition to the bill was also bipartisan. Some Republicans said the U.S. should warn consumers if there are data privacy and propaganda concerns, while some Democrats voiced concerns about the impact a ban would have on its millions of users in the U.S., many of whom are entrepreneurs and business owners.

“The answer to authoritarianism is not more authoritarianism,” said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). “The answer to CCP-style propaganda is not CCP-style oppression. Let us slow down before we blunder down this very steep and slippery slope.”

Ahead of the House vote, a top national security official in the Biden administration held a closed-door briefing Tuesday with lawmakers to discuss TikTok and the national security implications. Lawmakers are balancing those security concerns against a desire not to limit free speech online.

“What we've tried to do here is be very thoughtful and deliberate about the need to force a divestiture of TikTok without granting any authority to the executive branch to regulate content or go after any American company,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the bill's author, as he emerged from the briefing.

TikTok has long denied that it could be used as a tool of the Chinese government. The company has said it has never shared U.S. user data with Chinese authorities and won’t do so if it is asked. To date, the U.S. government also has not provided any evidence that shows TikTok shared such information with Chinese authorities. The platform has about 170 million users in the U.S.

In a statement on the House vote, TikTok said, “This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it’s a ban. We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

Reporting by The Associated Press