WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that he would continue to work to find a “responsible solution to keeping TikTok going” in the US.
“We aren’t against TikTok. We want TikTok to keep going. But we are against a Chinese company that is in cahoots with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) owning TikTok,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
TikTok has “too many security risks” that cannot be ignored, he said.
“The law passed last year was intended to sever TikTok from the influence of the CCP while keeping the app available for Americans,” he said.
“It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,” he added.
The law signed by President Joe Biden in April gave TikTok until Jan. 19 to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a US ban. It cited national security concerns.
Schumer criticized Senate Republicans who blocked a bill by Democrats on Wednesday to “extend the deadline to give everyone more time to come up with a workable solution.”
“But Senate Republicans blocked our bill, which is stunning because time is running short. We will continue to work to find a responsible solution to keeping TikTok going, protect American livelihoods and protect against Chinese Communist Party surveillance,” he said. (Anadolu)
