Here’s how Texas legislators voted on the TikTok ban in the $95 billion national security package that will now go to President Biden for approval.
The bill was passed Tuesday night 79-18 with the support of most Senate Republicans and nearly all Senate Democrats. According to NBC, the new legislation provides nine months for TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell it or face a nationwide prohibition in the United States.
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After voting against cloture on today’s foreign aid package, Sen. Ted Cruz referred to the vote as among the toughest in his Senate career.
“It was a close call because there are good elements in the bill that I strongly support. First, as always, I strongly support military aid to Israel, particularly in a time of war,” Cruz said in the statement.
“Second, the bill forces the Chinese Communist Party to give up control of TikTok in the U.S. This is incredibly important for our national security, and helps safeguard our young people from CCP propaganda.”
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According to Cruz, the other elements of the bill were too problematic for him to support the whole package.
“It was a close call, because there are good elements in the bill that I strongly support. First, as always, I strongly support military aid to Israel, particularly in a time of war,” Cruz said in the statement.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn voted in favor of the package. According to NBC, in March Cornyn said he sees a need for action on TikTok because of its parent company’s links to China.
“I certainly think it is a threat,” he said before the House vote. “Because under existing Chinese law any information any Chinese company collects, they have to share with the Chinese Communist Party. So it’s well documented that one of the strategies that Communist China has is to collect all this data and apply their artificial intelligence to do mass surveillance, and more.”
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According to NBC, the president can extend the timeline by 90 days if he certifies that divestiture has a path and “significant progress” is being made. If the extension is not granted, the ban may begin in January 2025 and if it is granted, it will begin in April 2025.