1 month ago
Senators connected some sides of nan aisle are pushing backmost aft Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., poured acold h2o connected hopes a House-passed measure that would require societal media app TikTok to divest from China would ever scope nan Senate floor.
"I'm not amazed astatine all. This is exactly what I predicted would happen," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters. He was reacting to caller comments from Cantwell, chairwoman of nan Senate Committee connected Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
After nan House measure passed pinch an overwhelming mostly successful nan House of Representatives past month, it was referred to nan Commerce Committee successful nan Senate alternatively than being expedited successful nan aforesaid fashion. This puts nan measurement nether Cantwell's purview arsenic chairwoman, and she is charged pinch scheduling markups and imaginable hearings.
PENCE WORRIES TIKTOK BILL COULD GET LOST IN 'FOG OF PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS,’ URGES SENATE VOTE
Bipartisan senators, including Josh Hawley, top, and Mark Warner, bottom, pushed backmost connected claims regarding nan House-passed TikTok measure espoused by Sen. Maria Cantwell, center. (Getty Images)
The Washington Democrat had already signaled what immoderate feared would beryllium a agelong process, indicating her liking successful holding respective nationalist hearings regarding nan TikTok bill. However, she reportedly shared caller elaborate criticisms of nan measure pinch reporters Monday, suggesting it would not clasp up to judicial scrutiny.
Cantwell claimed nan measurement "could beryllium better," Punchbowl News reported. "You besides can’t, arsenic a Congress, conscionable determine 1 day, ‘Ah!’ And walk a law. Well, you can, I conscionable don’t cognize if it’ll clasp up successful court.
"Let’s get thing that tin beryllium upheld."
She notably has her ain connection regarding TikTok, called nan GUARD Act, which she said would let nan executive branch, specifically nan Department of Commerce, to modulate apps owned by overseas adversaries, specified arsenic TikTok. The measurement would not unit divestment from China.
MCCONNELL SAYS TIKTOK BILL DESERVES 'URGENT ATTENTION' AMID CHINA SECURITY THREAT CONCERNS
Asked by Fox News Digital if she still planned to clasp hearings connected nan House-passed measure, Cantwell said, "We're trying to fig retired our schedule for that. So, we'll fto you cognize soon."
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, criticized nan suggestion, telling Fox News Digital, "It's nan correct point for nationalist security, and looking for excuses is embarrassing."
The TikTok logo Aug. 22, 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo)
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, further claimed nan measure was designed to beryllium taken to tribunal and punctual a speedy decision.
"It's anticipating tribunal action and making judge that it's done very quickly," he said.
Citing his conversations pinch nan Department of Justice and nan ineligible proposal provided by it, Senate Select Committee connected Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said nan attack "taken successful nan House measure [is] threading nan needle appropriately," pushing backmost connected Cantwell's remark.
GOP PLANS TO GRIND SENATE TO A HALT IF DEMOCRATS TABLE MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL
"I deliberation it's intelligibly law and passes each nan tests of ineligible sufficiency," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital. "Selling assets is simply a communal remedy that's utilized by nan Justice Department successful antitrust suits and is applied to a assortment of different kinds of situations."
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reiterated that he wants to spot a ballot connected "a measure that separates TikTok and nan Chinese authorities connection."
Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee proceeding to analyse worldwide threats astatine nan Capitol successful Washington March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)
Representatives for Cantwell did not supply remark successful consequence to nan criticisms.
Hawley suggested again that lobbying from Big Tech was apt down stalling connected nan TikTok measure, telling reporters, "TikTok does not want that measure to move crossed nan Senate floor.
"And, therefore, it's highly improbable to move crossed nan Senate floor."
DEM SENATORS VOICE CONCERNS OVER ISRAEL WAR STATUS AS BIDEN ATTEMPTS ‘CHALLENGING’ BALANCE WITH PROGRESSIVES
Several reports past period from Politico revealed that respective erstwhile Cantwell staffers now lobby lawmakers connected behalf of nan social media app, which prompted some questions and disapproval fixed her position charting nan bill's trajectory done nan Commerce Committee.
TikTok did not supply remark to Fox News Digital.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee afloat committee proceeding connected Capitol Hill successful Washington Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
However, Hawley said he isn't consenting to judge nan TikTok measure ne'er reaching nan enclosure level for a vote.
He claimed that if nan Commerce Committee tries "to vessel it up," he mightiness activity to bring nan TikTok measure to nan level by asking "for unanimous consent to group a ballot and person a debate."
GOP SENATORS CONVINCE SPEAKER JOHNSON TO DELAY MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLE DELIVERY
Asked if he thinks nan measurement would ever beryllium brought to nan floor, Warner told Fox News Digital, "I judge we request to activity connected thing that is simply a nationalist information threat and has been overwhelmingly supported."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Fetterman expressed optimism, saying he believes a ballot connected forcing TikTok to divest will yet happen.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., noted it would beryllium a determination for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arsenic nan leader of nan precocious chamber.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Schumer didn't reply Fox News Digital erstwhile asked if he plans to ever bring nan House-passed measure to nan floor.
"I tin show you that it's important that we either person them divest aliases we're astir apt going to person to find a process successful which they are eliminated from nan platforms," Rounds said.
