TikTok lobbying surges ahead of House vote this week
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Tensions between Congress and TikTok have reached a boiling point ahead of a high-stakes House vote — scheduled for Wednesday — that could lead to a U.S. ban of the massively popular video app.
Why it matters: Intense lobbying is underway on both sides of the bipartisan bill, which would force Beijing-based Bytedance to divest its ownership of TikTok within 165 days. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to visit Capitol Hill this week as part of the company's full-court press.
- If passed and signed by President Biden, the bill would have major implications for the U.S. election, national security, the social media ecosystem, small businesses, America's youth and more.
- Divisions within the Republican Party over banning TikTok have erupted at the eleventh hour, following former President Trump's head-scratching reversal on a policy he championed in office.
Driving the news: In an interview on CNBC on Monday morning, Trump said he still believes TikTok's Chinese ownership poses "a national security risk" — but again argued that banning the app would only help Facebook.
- "Without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people," Trump said.
- In a new twist, the former president also pointed out: "There are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it."
State of play: The House will vote on the TikTok bill Wednesday morning under "suspension of the rules," meaning it will require a two-thirds majority to pass.
- TikTok once again sent push notifications Monday urging users to call their representative — a tactic that led to a surge in threats last week and backfired when a key House committee voted 50-0 to advance the bill.
- The company also plans on flooding House offices with content creators and lobbyists this week, though it doesn't expect to change the outcome of the vote, Axios' Ashley Gold reports.
What they're saying: The top Republican and Democrat on the House China Select Committee sent a letter to Chew on Monday excoriating the company for "spreading false claims" about the bill, which TikTok has falsely characterized as an "outright ban."
- "Using your platform to deceive the American people about bipartisan U.S. legislation underscores the clear necessity of the bill currently under consideration," the lawmakers wrote.
- "Next week, TikTok could be spreading false information about a war. This fall, it could be about our elections."
The intrigue: Outside conservative groups have lined up on opposing sides of the bill — underscoring the divisions over an app that top Republicans previously branded as "Chinese spyware" and "digital fentanyl."
- FreedomWorks, which was once associated with the Tea Party movement, said Monday it opposes the bill and warned that requiring American ownership of any company "sets a dangerous precedent."
- Heritage Action, which has typically aligned with Trump, supports the bill and said the "national security concerns posed by TikTok are unique, proven, and outweigh concerns about certain judicial challenges."
- Former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, meanwhile, is being paid by the conservative Club for Growth to advocate for TikTok on Capitol Hill, Politico reports.
What to watch: Officials from the FBI, Justice Department and U.S. intelligence community will be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to brief lawmakers about TikTok in a classified setting.
The bottom line: If last week's torrent of calls and threats to members of Congress is any indication, the TikTok debate is likely to grow even nastier in the coming days.
