Legislation that would force TikTok’s Chinese parent to sell it or face a ban in the U.S. is picking up speed in Congress, posing a dilemma for Republican lawmakers after former U.S. President Donald Trump reversed his previous stance and suggested the app shouldn’t be banned after all.
Asked if the bill would pass the House of Representatives when it comes up for a vote Wednesday as expected, Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, said, "yes it will.” Rep. Bob Good, the conservative Freedom Caucus chair, said he was evaluating the bill but was leaning toward supporting it.
The legislation, introduced last week by a bipartisan group led by House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, would block app stores and Internet service providers such as those run by Apple and Alphabet’s Google from offering the platform unless TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance sells it within six months.