Senate pumps brakes on House bill to force TikTok sale

After a bill calling for the forced sale or ban of TikTok blazed through the House, senators on Thursday dialed back the pace — urging cautious deliberation on an effort that could shutter an app used by more than 100 million U.S. users.

The legislation represents a severe threat to the popular video-sharing app’s operations. It advanced just eight days after its introduction in a 352-65 vote, unfettered by the popular video app’s aggressive campaigning.

But some senators fear the slower negotiations could allow TikTok’s furious lobbying blitz to neutralize the push in the upper chamber. TikTok unleashed a sprawling attempt to thwart the bill, urging its users to blanket Congress with calls and dispatching CEO Shou Zi Chew to campaign on the Hill. Some lawmakers say more time could allow the company to quash the negotiations.

TikTok, which has denied claims of foreign influence and sought to assuage U.S. privacy concerns, slammed the bill this week on social media as a thinly-veiled attempt to boot the app and said on X that it was “disappointing members of Congress would complain about hearing from their own constituents.”

If the measure were to pass this month, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, would be forced to sell the app by September, two months before voters head to the ballot box — and Democrats are reliant upon young voters to goose turnout in key swing districts.

Now as the debate shifts to the Senate, members said that while they are wary of giving TikTok a chance to influence discussions, many are hesitant to match the House’s swift proceedings.

“These fields are evolving and changing so rapidly, that you can do a lot of damage by moving too quickly or without the facts,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.