The Senate voted 80-19 to limit debate on the package that includes a provision that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban from U.S. devices and networks.
The House-passed package also includes $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The TikTok provision faced opposition in the Senate from both sides of the aisle, but its inclusion in the overall package means it is likely to be sent to the president’s desk. A final vote could take place as early as Tuesday night.
President Biden is expected to sign the foreign aid package if it passes the Senate and in March, voiced support for the TikTok ban legislation when it was unveiled as the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
The bill included in the package amended the length of time ByteDance has to divest TikTok from roughly six months, as it was written when the House initially passed it in March, to up to a year. That extension eased concerns from some critics, including Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
Cantwell and Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.), a vocal supporter of the bill, urged senators on the floor to support the bill Tuesday after the vote to end debate on the package.
Supporters of the bill say it is necessary in order to mitigate national security risks the app poses due to its China-based parent company. Lawmakers have received classified briefings about risks posed by TikTok.
But Warner also made a plea to the public, especially young people, who make up a strong base of TikTok’s loyal supporters.
“Many Americans, particularly young Americans, are rightfully skeptical. At the end of the day, they’ve not seen what Congress has seen. They’ve not been in the classified briefings that Congress has been in,” he said.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
