Schumer noncommittal on House-passed TikTok ban

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday the Senate “will review” the House-passed bill that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app or see it banned in the U.S., but he stayed firmly noncommittal about bringing the legislation to the floor.

The legislation passed the House with an overwhelming margin, 352-65, earlier Wednesday and seemed to have strong momentum heading over to the upper chamber.

But Schumer made it clear he does not plan to rush it to the Senate floor, despite President Biden’s Friday statement saying he would sign a TikTok ban if it passes Congress.

“The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House,” Schumer said in a short statement.

The Democratic leader was similarly noncommittal when asked about the measure Tuesday, indicating the measure is unlikely to come to the Senate floor anytime soon.

“Let’s see what the House does. I’ll have to consult and intend to consult with my relevant committee chairmen to see what their views would be,” he said.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) issued a joint statement with Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Wednesday, pledging to work on getting the House bill through the Senate.

But the bill faces skepticism from Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and other senators — notably Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

“I’m not sure what we’ll do yet, got to talk to lots of people,” Cantwell told NBC News.

Cantwell has raised free speech concerns about banning TikTok, while also recognizing the federal government’s interest in protecting U.S. citizens from intelligence collection activities by foreign actors.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has yet to weigh in on the House-passed TikTok ban.